


appeler un chat un chat

by makototachibana



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makototachibana/pseuds/makototachibana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night Chat Noir decides to make a joke about Adrien Agreste, and it just so happens to rub Ladybug the wrong way. But as their relationship becomes more awkward and confusing, Marinette and Adrien's is just blossoming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pyuupyuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyuupyuu/gifts).



> BIG shoutout to my pal leah (@vampirequeens on tumblr) for inspiring me to start writing for the first time in almost 3 years and putting up with me constantly sending her pieces from this.
> 
> this is basically a fic where i try to look at marinette and adrien's relationship from every single angle. inspired by a couple works of art as well: http://snapchatnoir.tumblr.com/post/132837224597 & http://baraschino.tumblr.com/post/132374333074/i-know-right-think-harder-marinette-ok-i
> 
> also as for the title: literally: to call a cat a cat; figuratively: to call it as it is, to call a spade a spade

The night air was cool on Ladybug's cheeks as her and Chat Noir traversed from rooftop to rooftop, patrolling around Paris. It had been a quiet, akuma-less week that Ladybug very much appreciated since it gave her time to get caught up on her schoolwork. It was also nice to just go out at night and appreciate the city lights, even if Chat Noir was there by her side to bug her (no pun intended, maybe he was rubbing off on her). His company wasn't all bad though. Sure, his jokes were cheesy and his flirtatious advances were annoying, but she'd rather have all that than be out there alone. He gave her a sense of comfort, in his own way.

It was towards the end of the night when the duo had stopped to take a break on a particular rooftop near the Eiffel Tower. It was starting to get chilly outside and Ladybug wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest as she gazed up at Paris' trademark. Chat, on the other hand, had his eyes on something else.

"Check out that sparkle guy." He remarked, nudging Ladybug with his elbow. She looked over to where he was gesturing to see a poster of Adrien Agreste modeling for a perfume advertisement down in the square. She had seen the poster a million times around the city before, her room being one of those places, so she was confused as to why he would point it out. Ladybug turned to Chat, eyebrows furrowed.

"What about him?" She asked defensively.

"Oh, nothing," Chat replied, shrugging his shoulders with a smirk plastered across his face. "He just looks pretty flashy and stuck up. I mean, just look at that dopey face." He pretended to mimic Adrien's smile, but with a crude twist, flashing his teeth and crossing his eyes in mockery.

Ladybug shot him a dirty look. "You sure you're not talking about yourself?" She scoffed. She knew she shouldn't be getting super defensive, but she couldn't help it. In her eyes Adrien was everything good in the world. He was kind, smart, selfless, and not to mention gorgeous. He wasn't just some puppet model for his father like everyone thought he was. He was a good person.

"Aw come on, my lady, I was just _kitten_ around. No need to be so upset," Chat said, holding up his hands in a surrendering motion. "Why get so worked up about sparkle-pants? It's not like you know him."

"You don't know that," Ladybug snapped back, a little too quickly. She averted her gaze from Chat, turning her attention back to the Eiffel Tower. "Maybe 'sparkle-pants' is my best friend in real life. Maybe he's a relative of mine. Maybe he's my secret crush. Maybe I just admire his work." She began rambling as she always did when Adrien was brought up. But she wasn't Marinette right now, she was Ladybug. She sighed, composing herself. "My point is, you don't know anything about him, and you don't know anything about me. And you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. He could be the nicest person in the world and you wouldn't know it."

Chat sat back, looking like Ladybug had just slapped him in the face. He did always get a bit upset whenever she turned him away from any information about her personal life. Maybe she had gone a little too far, but making fun of Adrien was going too far for Chat as well, it was only fair.

And then he laughed. It wasn't the laugh that he used after he made a terrible joke, or the laugh of triumph that came after an akuma was defeated. It was something she'd never heard come from Chat. It sounded like... sadness mixed with relief.

"As always, my lady, you amaze me." He stated, moving to stand up. Ladybug looked up at him, his silhouette shrouded in the light from the Eiffel Tower. He didn't look back at her, which she found strange, since it always seemed like he was staring at her for one reason or another. Instead he turned his back to her, ready to make his departure even though neither of their miraculous were giving off their traditional warning beeps. "I should go. Things to do, people to see, you know how it is. See you around, Ladybug."

It was the first time she'd seen him leave without any sort of flirtatious remark, kiss on the hand, wink, anything. And there was something different about his tone of voice. Like he was sad, or touched, or both? Ladybug swore the more time she spent with Chat Noir the less she understood him. Either way, he had gone off into the night without giving her the chance to say goodbye, so she decided it was as good a time as any to head home as well.

\- - -

"Tikki, do you think Chat Noir is okay?" Marinette asked. Her kwami was resting on the pillow beside her as she laid down for bed that night. She couldn't get the conversation she had had with him out of her head, and couldn't sleep because of it. "Do you think I was too defensive of Adrien? I mean, he _was_ making fun of him. But he doesn't strike me as the type to make fun of others like that, so why would he do that? And Adrien of all people." She was rambling again, but she knew Tikki didn't mind. Then another thought crossed her mind. "Do you think Chat Noir knows Adrien in real life? And that's why he was joking around about him? Oh god, and I was saying all that stuff about what if I knew him..."

Tikki rolled over, scooting closer to Marinette, a patient smile on her face. "I think he's fine. And I also think that you're overthinking things a little bit. Maybe he was just trying to be funny?"

"But it wasn't funny." Marinette retorted with a pout.

"I know," Tikki sighed, "But he doesn't know that you like Adrien, right? So he probably thought it would be a harmless joke."

"I guess you're right," Marinette replied, burying her face in her pillow. "But I'm not apologizing to him. What he said was rude and he needs to know that I won't tolerate that. About Adrien or anyone." Her voice was muffled, and Tikki couldn't help but giggle.

"Fair enough, Marinette. Now get some sleep. You never know when Hawk Moth is going to strike again and you need your strength." The kwami gave her ponytail a small tug, and Marinette rolled her face back over to look at her. She was right, as always. She assumed thats what you get when you're thousands of years old, the right to be right all the time.

"Mmkay. Goodnight, Tikki."

\- - -

The following day at school, Marinette went about her day normally. At least it was normal until Madame Bustier announced that there would be a big project due next week that was going to be done in pairs. Normally, these sorts of things were fine, because even if Marinette would get caught up in some akuma fighting business she could always count on her trusty partner Alya to get things done right without her. She could feel her friend nudging her with her elbow, a playful smirk painted across her face. That is until Madame Bustier continued with the fact that these partners would be randomly selected.

The whole class gave a collective groan. It wasn't like anyone disliked anyone else (well, except for Chloe, but that was mostly just Marinette), but everyone liked having their partners be their best friend. Nevertheless, Madame Bustier pulled out a jar of paper slips and began calling people up one by one to come and pull out a name. Mylene was first and she drew Alix. Then Chloe went and Marinette prayed silently to any god that would listen to her for Chloe not to pull out her name or Adrien's. Apparently luck was on her side that day because Chloe pulled out Kim's name.

After some more students went it became Alya's turn to pick a slip. Marinette's name was still somewhere in the jar, so she hoped her luck wasn't running out on her just yet. But then Alya pulled out Nino's name, and flashed her an apologetic smile. So Marinette sauntered her way up to the front desk after Alya left to sit back down and reached her hand inside the jar. There were only a few slips left, so she closed her eyes and grabbed the first one she could get a hold on. When she unfolded the paper and read the name she could feel her heart jump into her throat.

"A-Adrien."

She stammered out the name and looked over at him, swallowing nervously. She was afraid he'd look disappointed, but instead he gave her a soft smile and a nod. Behind him she could see Alya with her mouth twisted into a devilish grin, giving her a big thumbs up.

Marinette dropped the slip into the trash bin and walked back to her desk, risking another look at Adrien to see him holding out his hand in her direction. She stared at it for a second before understanding, and gave him a weak high-five. He smiled wider and whispered, "We'll do great."

She felt as if she were going to melt. Oh man, was Chat Noir wrong about this boy.

She nodded and gave him a nervous smile in return, sitting back down in her seat next to Alya, who began to incessantly poke her in the side. She didn't need to say anything to understand how excited Alya was for her. And, well, she was excited too. Nervous for sure, but also excited. This could be her chance to get closer to Adrien, and even further prove to Chat just how wrong he was about him. He was more than just a pretty face, and she was ready to get to know him better.

\- - -

"So, tomorrow after school, my place?" Adrien was talking to her and Marinette felt as if she'd combust at any moment now. He had just invited her over his house! Granted, it was in order to work on a project, but still. Would she see his bedroom? His father? She shook all her questions out of her head before replying.

"Y-yeah. Sounds nice. I mean - sounds good. Perfect." She internally slapped herself for fumbling out that disarray of words, but it was better than just gaping at him. Instead of looking at her like she was bizarre, he just gave her another one of his trademark Adrien Agreste smiles.

"Alright. I'll meet you outside after school tomorrow then, my driver will pick us up." He put his hand gently on her shoulder before walking off towards Nino, leaving Marinette feeling like she was on cloud nine.

Then Alya poked her head out of the doorway, where she had no doubt been listening to their short lived conversation, and practically pounced on Marinette.

"You lucky girl, you!" She exclaimed, taking Marinette's hands in her own in celebration, clutching her tightly for support. Marinette couldn't help but let out an embarrassingly stupid grin at her friend.

"I can't believe it Alya. I really can't." She managed to say, gripping her hands back as if she'd fall over without them.

"I can!" Alya replied. "Oh this is perfect, Mari! I bet you guys will be thick as thieves by the time this project's over. And who knows? Maybe he might just end up falling for you." She punctuated that last remark with a wink, and a blush bloomed across Marinette's face.

"I don't know about that Alya," Marinette said with a shy laugh, "I'm just happy that I get to spend some time with him."

"I'm sure you are." Alya said suggestively, followed by another wink. This time it earned her a nudge in the shoulder. "Hey! I'm being supportive here!"

"As always," Marinette laughed, "C'mon, let's go get some lunch now. I'm starving."

\- - -

That night Ladybug set out on patrol, expecting to find nothing but some late night traffic in the streets. It was a quiet evening as she predicted, no villains, not even a mugger on the street or a lost dog. But there was one thing missing that made the night rather lonely.  
Chat Noir. 

Sure, she understood that he was a person too and that he had a life outside of this whole superhero business, but he had never missed a patrol before. In fact, he was usually always the one waiting on the rooftops for Ladybug, not wanting to start without her. It felt wrong, in a sense, to patrol through the city without his ridiculous jokes in her ear. Without his obnoxious flirtatious advances. Without _him_.

Was it because of what she had said? About how he didn't know her? In all honestly, that wasn't true. Chat knew her. He knew the Ladybug side of her at least. And she knew him, or at least she liked to think so until the events of last night. _"Don't judge a book by it's cover."_ was what she had said to him. But was that hypocritical of her to say? She had always thought of Chat as a one dimensional guy, always caught up in showing off, cracking jokes, and teasing her at every opportunity he got. She never thought about it too deeply, but she had always assumed he would be the same way as a civilian. But what if Chat Noir was just like her? Using his anonymity to be someone completely different?

It was a strange and uneasy thought, but it would make sense. If she could be a new person when the mask was put on, then he could too just as easily.

But they weren't meant to think about those things. Ladybug was the one who put up the wall between their personal lives and their miraculous ones. She was the one who shot him down every time he attempted to learn something about her everyday self. So it wasn't fair of her to speculate things about him like that. Chat Noir was just Chat Noir to her, and that's all he could ever be.

Unless she prompted something to change. But that would be messy and complicated. And she didn't want to disappoint Chat by just being boring, stuttering, clumsy little Marinette. His vision of Ladybug as this incredible and brave superhero was something that she didn't want to take away from him. It could also potentially put their civilian selves, friends and family in danger, and she couldn't have that.

Ladybug sighed, the night air seeming to get colder and colder the more she swung between buildings. She ended up stopping at the same rooftop where she and Chat had been last night, the one right behind the Eiffel Tower. It was breathtaking as always, but the atmosphere was different when she was alone.

She saw a shadow in her peripheral vision, a grin tugging on her lips as she turned around, expecting to see her partner in crime. But it was only a stray cat that had made its way onto the rooftop. Ladybug laughed at herself for being foolish enough to think that Chat Noir would come out this late.

"You're not the kitty I expected to see tonight," she said to the cat, a sad smile on her face. The cat meowed as if he understood her and rubbed up against her leg. But the sudden beeping from her earrings scared him away.

"Be safe out there," Ladybug whispered as the cat ran off into the darkness. She grabbed her yo-yo and slung it over to the nearest rooftop, ready to make her way back home.

After she had backtracked a quite a few blocks she came across the Agreste's mansion. It was incredibly huge and beautiful, hard to miss even on a dark night. Without thinking, she stopped for a second, standing on top of the large gate in front. She wondered for a moment if Adrien was inside, and what he was doing. He was probably sleeping, she thought, since it was so late. Her miraculous beeped for a second time, and she sighed, gripping her yo-yo, ready to make her departure.

And then she saw him.

Gentle green eyes through a window on the second story, hands pressed up against the glass. Ladybug's eyes widened in surprise. Why was he awake? What was he doing? A million questions ran through her mind, but they all slammed to a halt when she saw him move.

He was waving. She couldn't make out his expression in the dark but she could see his hand against the window pane, moving back and forth in a friendly gesture of hello. She had to remind herself for a moment that she was Ladybug, not shy, clumsy Marinette, and then she was able to raise up her arm and wave back.

And then before she could do anything else, her miraculous began to beep for a third time. She touched her earrings, cursing them for a moment. Then at the last second she decided to give Adrien a small salute of goodbye with a very Ladybug-esque smirk across her face, before swinging away from the mansion to go back to her house.

By the time Ladybug, no, Marinette got back, she was so starstruck that she swore she could feel her stomach doing somersaults inside her. Now that she was home safely in her room she was free to dance around nervously and reminisce about what had just happened to her.

"Tikki, I can't believe I did that," She muttered, staring at her kwami wide eyed. "I stopped at his house. And he was there! And he waved at me!"

"I know, Marinette," Tikki giggled, "I was there you know."

"Why was he even awake? What was he doing? God, what was I doing?" Her Adrien freak-outs had never been nearly as hectic as this one was. For one, it wasn't an interaction between Marinette and Adrien, it was between Ladybug and Adrien. The only other time something like this had ever happened was when Ladybug had gawked at Adrien when he was inside his car that one time, yelling at him to evacuate before she realized just who she was talking to. And that was just some short lived staring thanks to the Mime.

Oh no, did Adrien think Ladybug was some kind of weird stalker now? No, he had waved hello to her. And he was way too nice to think such a thing. Then did he think she was a friend? Did he think she was cute? Marinette groaned, plopping down onto her bed face first in despair and confusion.

"Don't be so worried about it," Tikki advised, floating down to rest in front of Marinette. "Hey, don't you have that date with Adrien tomorrow? Maybe you can bring up Ladybug and see what he thinks of her?"

"I-it's not a date!" Marinette protested, her face becoming flushed with embarrassment at the thought. But maybe Tikki didn't have such a bad idea. It's not like Ladybug was an uncommon topic to talk about these days. And Adrien had asked her about her interactions with Chat Noir that one time, so –

Oh, Chat Noir. Marinette had been so preoccupied thinking about Adrien that she had nearly forgotten the fact that her partner had ditched her tonight. Well, maybe "ditched" was a harsh word, he probably had some sort of outside obligation to attend to. Then when she thought about it further, she realized if Chat had been with her tonight, she wouldn't have stopped at Adrien's house and gotten a wave from him. Maybe that cat really did bring bad luck. But, she did still miss him tonight, unlucky or not.

But she had bigger things to worry about right now, like going over Adrien's house tomorrow as Marinette instead of Ladybug.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the end of the day, and as Adrien had promised he was standing out at the front of the school, waiting for Marinette. She could see him standing there, talking to Nino, laughing about who knows what. Marinette swallowed down her nerves as Alya gave her a gentle push outside to face him.

She tried walking over to him as gracefully as possible, but she couldn't help but feel like her movements were stiff. It was Nino who noticed her approaching first, and turned to say hello. Adrien followed in suit, looking over at her with a soft smile which practically made her fall to her knees.

"Right on time," Adrien commented as his driver pulled up to the side of the road beside them. All Marinette could muster herself to do was nod in response.

And then he opened the door, gesturing for her to climb inside like she was a princess getting into a carriage. She took a deep breath as an attempt to calm her nerves, smiled back at him, and made her way into the limo. He followed in after her, giving Nino a wave goodbye from the window. Marinette felt her chest tighten at his gesture, reminding her all too familiarly of the events of last night. But he waved at Ladybug, not her. She took another deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out. Then she noticed Adrien staring at her, and the only thing she could think to do was stretch a big stupid grin across her face.

It made him laugh lightly and smile back at her. "Sorry if this is all a bit... extravagant." He waved his hands around, gesturing to the limo's entirety. "I know it can make some people feel kind of out of place..."

"N-no!" Mariette replied, "It's fine. I'm comfortable. Totally." She attempted to lean back in her seat instead of sitting upright like a board, resting her elbow on the door and accidentally clicking the window down. She immediately shot back up, pressing the button fervently to put the window back up. She looked back over to Adrien, who looked like he wanted to burst out laughing but was holding it in with all his might.

"Good, I'm glad." He said, reaching over to brush some of her hair back into place from where the wind had blown it. Marinette sat frozen in place as his hand brushed against her cheek, feeling herself practically ignite on fire from the touch. Adrien must've noticed the blush that exploded across her face because he immediately drew his hand back. And, if Marinette wasn't imagining things, was that a slight blush of his own?

She averted her eyes to the window, staring at it like her eyes were glued. She cleared her throat, mustering up as much bravery as she had in her as Marinette and tried to make conversation to cut the awkwardness. "So, w-what book do you think we should do our project on?"

"Ah, I was actually thinking about it last night," Adrien began, acting suavely as ever. "It's kind of out there, because, well, it's a children's book, but hear me out," he took a deep breath, "How about Le Petit Prince?"

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about it. It definitely wasn't something that everyone else was going to do, and it did have a lot of deeper meaning that they could pull from and make it sound intelligent. "Sounds good to me." She replied, giving him a shy thumbs up. "I think we could make it interesting."

Adrien's face lit up, and Marinette couldn't help but wish she could make that happen everyday for the rest of her life.

They pulled up into the driveway of the Agreste mansion, Adrien getting out first so he could open the door for her again. Marinette managed to get out without stumbling and gazed up at the place Adrien called home. She had seen it last night, of course, but from down on the ground it just seemed so much grander.

She followed Adrien inside like a lost puppy, which she might as well be in a place as big as this. She was afraid to touch anything, it all looked so expensive and irreplaceable that she felt like a walking hazard. She kept tight on Adrien's trail, following him up the flight of stairs. Before she could ask any questions, Adrien seemed to read her mind and answer them.

"My dad's not home right now, in case you were wondering," He said, keeping his gaze fixed ahead, "He's on a business trip right now. His assistant Nathalie is here though in her office if we need anything, she won't be much of a bother."

"Ah, okay," Marinette replied. She had expected as much. Mr. Agreste was probably in Milan living her dream, she expected nothing less. It did make her feel bad for Adrien, though. The house was so big and quiet, even if it did usually only have one more body in it, it had to get lonely when he was away.

They eventually came to a door at the top of the steps, which Adrien opened for her yet again. It was his room, and it was _huge_ , at least twice the size of Marinette's room. It had a giant computer with four monitors, arcade games, a basketball hoop, a rock climbing wall, a half pipe and a library to top it all off. Marinette had to use every muscle in her face to keep her jaw form dropping to the floor. And yet he looked embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck and averting her gaze.

"Y-you have a nice room." Marinette commented, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Thanks," He replied, still sounding a bit off.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any sort of conversation starter. She spotted a bunch of papers, poster board and markers strewn about near the couch on the opposite side of the room, so she made her way over there.

"Looks like you already got some supplies." She said, bending down to sit cross legged on the floor beside it all.

He nodded, joining Marinette on the floor beside her. "Yeah, I didn't know what you'd want to use, so I just pulled out everything I had."

"This tri-fold poster board will do good." She claimed. Adrien smiled and nodded, rummaging through his backpack to pull out Le Petit Prince.

"I was reading through it during school today," He mentioned, flipping through the pages. Some had little colorful tabs on them, marking down important events and phrases. Marinette couldn't help but smile at the thoughtfulness. "I marked down some interesting things, I could get started on writing down some important quotes."

"Alright!" Marinette uncapped a red marker, looking determined. "Then I'll work on making this thing look worthy of an A."

\- - -

The time had flown by, and before either of them knew it, it was starting to get dark outside. Marinette had even gotten a worried text from Alya.

 **[ Alya <3 @ 6:17pm ]**  
stopped by the bakery to see how the big day went. u werent there!!! did adrien actually kill u with his charms??

The text had made her laugh. Alya's assumption probably should've been true, but the more she stayed over at Adrien's house the more comfortable she became.

 **[ Marinette @ 6:19pm ]**  
im alive! just got caught up in all this work. i'll tell u about it tomorrow :)

Marinette tucked her phone back into her pocket. She was laying on her stomach on the floor, carefully using glitter glue to line the edges of the poster board. Adrien had done most of the research on the book while she had been more focused on the decorating aspect of the project, drawing illustrations from the story and making it look neat and well put together. They hadn't talked too much, but they had fallen into a comfortable silence. Marinette never in her wildest dreams would have imagined that she would be in a room with Adrien and feel _comfortable._

"It looks really good," Adrien commented, looking over from his seat at his desk at the poster. "I guess that's to be expected though, since you're such a good designer."

Marinette felt a familiar flush reach her cheeks. "T-thanks," She mumbled, shyly looking away from him. "You're research has been really good too." It wasn't the most original compliment, but he smiled, and that's all she could really ask for.

"We've been working for a long time," He stated, stretching his arms over his head. "How about we get something to eat before you have to leave?"

"N-no, it's fine. I can just have dinner when I get home," Marinette protested, sitting up from her position on the floor.

Adrien stood up, walking over to her, extending his hand. "C'mon, I insist."

There was no way she could say no to that face. She took his hand and stood up, brushing some glitter off of her pants as an excuse to let go of his hand. If she held it for too long she thought she might combust.

Marinette followed Adrien out of his room, the two making their way downstairs to the kitchen. It was huge, as expected, and there was a man in there washing up the counters. Marinette stood in the doorway as Adrien went over to him, presumably asking him to prepare something for the two of them. She couldn't help but feel a little burdensome. The man did look like he was cleaning up, and she could easily just go home and have whatever leftovers her parents had probably left for her.

But the man smiled at Adrien, nodding along with whatever he was saying. He glanced at Marinette, then back to Adrien and gave him a wink and a nod, and Adrien walked away.

"He's going to put together a surprise," Adrien said with a shrug. "We can wait in the dining room."

Marinette nodded, again following Adrien out of the kitchen's threshold and into the dining room. The table was incredibly long considering the fact that the Agreste's were such a tiny family. So when Adrien sat down at the head of the table it made him seem incredibly small compared to everything.

She sat down next to him, hands folded in front of her, eyes cast downward. It wasn't the comfortable silence they had shared earlier when they were both preoccupied with something, the air felt heavy and stagnant now. Marinette _had_ been wanting to ask about Adrien's thoughts on Ladybug, of course. Before they were both busy, so now might be as good a time as any. That is, if she could work up the courage to bring her up.

"Soo," Adrien cut the silence, fingers tapping idly on the table. "What do you, uh, think of Ladybug?"

Marinette froze instinctively before turning her gaze to meet his. "L-Ladybug?" She stammered in surprise. Had he just read her mind? Or was the encounter he had with Ladybug stuck in his brain as well? "Well, I mean, she's great. Really brave. Good at, y'know, saving Paris and everything."

"Mmm," Adrien hummed in response, looking off into space. Marinette shifted in her seat, gathering up some of her Ladybug courage.

"Why do you ask?" Marinette probed, looking at Adrien curiously.

"It's kind of silly," Adrien replied, beating around the bush. "Would... Would you believe me if... Ah, nevermind." He looked down at his hands in his lap, a faint trace of a blush across his cheeks.

"No, no. You can tell me." Marinette assured, a gentle smile on her face. "What are partners for, right? P-project partners, that is."

Adrien let out an airy laugh. "Alright. Well, last night I was up kind of late, and I guess it could've been me being sleep deprived, but... I swear I saw Ladybug outside my window."

Marinette feigned surprise. "Whaaat? No way, that's so amazing!"

"I know! I.. I have no idea why she would come to my house like that." His tone of voice shifted for a moment, but Marinette chose ignored it, writing it off as shock or surprise.

_Why wouldn't she?_ Marinette thought to herself. "Maybe she just happened to stop for a rest on patrol or something. Was Chat Noir with her?"

Adrien looked as if he stiffened for a moment before replying. "No, it was just her. Maybe she was just taking a little break..." His voice drifted off, and just then the cook entered with a platter in each hand.

"For you, sir," he said, placing a dish in front of Adrien before doing the same for Marinette. "And for the lady."

Marinette didn't realize just how hungry she was until she saw the sole meunière in front of her, the scent filling her nose and making her mouth water. She gave thanks to both the chef and Adrien before cutting into the buttery fish and taking a bite. She almost moaned because of how good it was, she had expected nothing less from a chef that worked for the Agreste's. She minded her manners though, swallowing before talking again.

"This is amazing," She commented with a smile of satisfaction. Adrien simply nodded in response, he was probably used to this sort of thing. She didn't take his silence as a reason to stop talking though. After all, they were just starting to get into an interesting conversation. "So... what do _you_ think of Ladybug?" She asked, putting the ball back into Adrien's court.

Adrien looked like he almost began to choke, but he composed himself quickly. "Me? Well..." He paused, pushing a piece of fish around in the sauce. "I think she's pretty miraculous."

It had to be a coincidence, but Marinette still widened her eyes in surprise at his answer. "I-Interesting word choice," she replied, putting another bite of food in her mouth to avoid herself possibly saying something she shouldn't.

Adrien just shrugged, a small grin on his face. Or was it a smirk? Marinette couldn't tell for the life of her what was going on inside the boy's head.

\- - -

It wasn't long after she had left Adrien's that Marinette found herself perched atop one of the many roofs of Paris clad in red and black. Adrien had offered to walk her home, but she had refused adamantly. He had already given her dinner and spent so much of the night with her she hadn't wanted to bother him anymore. But also, she did kind of want to just get away from him, as bizarre as that may seem. It took all of her energy to be around Adrien and not keel over just from looking at him. She had done well most of the day, but a walk home would involve more talking and she just didn't think she had the strength left for that. She would have to save it for tomorrow when they continued their project.

So for now she was free. Free of worrying about Adrien, free of everyday responsibility, free of being Marinette.

Ladybug laid on her back on top one of her favorite restaurants in the city, inhaling the scents that reminded her of the dinner she had just shared with her crush, and staring up at the cloudless sky. The city lights made it hard to see the stars, but just knowing that they were out there glowing persistently just out of view made her like to look for them anyway.

But then her view became blocked by a mop of blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"So when I don't come out for patrol this is what you do? Just laze around looking at space?" Chat Noir laughed, a devilishly familiar grin splayed across his face.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile up at her partner, poking him in the nose to get him to move out of her bubble of personal space before sitting upright to face him. "I was just so wounded that you abandoned me last night," She began sarcastically, clutching her chest for dramatic effect. "That all I could do was lay here, wondering when my knight in shining armor would finally show."

"Fear not, my princess, for I am here to rescue you now." He held out his hand to her and she took it, standing up gracefully. He attempted to kiss the back of hand, but she pulled away at the last moment.

"Nuh uh, kitty. You abandoned me last night, and now you're showing up late. I hope there's a good excuse." Ladybug scolded, wagging a finger in his face.

"Lets just say..." Chat began, raising a suggestive eyebrow. "It was because of a girl."

He couldn't be serious. But then again when had Ladybug ever known Chat Noir to lie to her? Or maybe he was referring to herself, because of what she had said a few nights ago defending Adrien. Either way, Ladybug looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed, a distasteful look on her face. "Whatever you say, Chat."

He ignored her repulsion as usual. "Did you already patrol without me?"

"Sort of," Ladybug replied with a shrug. "There's really not much to patrol these days it seems. That's why I was just kinda taking it easy for a night."

"Maybe Hawkmoth is _feline_ pretty bad these days," Chat offered, resting his hands on his hips, smirking at his own awful pun. "No matter what it is, I'm grateful for it."

Ladybug actually found herself giggling at Chat's terrible joke. She didn't realize just how much she had missed him.

"Maybe that means we could take a break, y'know, with our patrols." Chat said, looking off into the distance. "I mean, it seems safe enough, right?"

She didn't understand why, but Ladybug felt as if Chat had just dug his claws deep into her chest with his suggestion. Even though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she missed Chat Noir. She didn't want to go longer without seeing him. And what if something happened?

"I don't know if that's the best idea. You never know when he's going to create another akuma, that's kind of his whole schtick. The element of surprise," She replied, looking at him curiously. "What, are you a quitter now?" She playfully punched his arm to try and get him to look at her, and he did. His eyes were filled with something she couldn't identify, but it was quickly masked by his egotistical grin.

"Who do you think I am, my lady?" His face said he was sure of himself, but his tone said otherwise.

Ladybug gave his arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Hey, I need you out here y'know."

"Of course you do, you can't see in the dark very well."

" _Chat._ "

And then he looked at her, _really_ looked at her, eyes searching Ladybug's face for something he apparently couldn't find, no matter how hard he stared at her. His eyebrows furrowed, as if considering something, and he reached up to caress her face, the cool metal of his ring stinging her cheek.

"Ladybug, I..." Chat's voice trailed off, his hands dropping back down to his sides.

"What's wrong?" Ladybug whispered. Her voice didn't feel like her own in that moment, it felt like a ghost had just crawled into her from where Chat's ring had burned into her skin.

"It's nothing." Chat replied coolly. His eyes softened and he smiled gently, turning his gaze away from Ladybug to look straight ahead. The distant light from the Eiffel Tower framed his face in delicate light. The scene seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Ladybug asked, genuinely concerned. "We're partners. We should trust each other." The sentence reminded her of what she had said to Adrien to get him to talk about his experience with Ladybug, and suddenly she felt like a two-timer, although that was a ridiculous notion.

"I do trust you. With my life," Chat corrected, still avoiding her stare. "Sometimes it's just hard to keep two lives separate, y'know?"

Now there was something they could both agree on. She wondered again who this boy, usually so pompous and catty, was behind the mask. Maybe, just maybe, he was someone sweet. But again, she wasn't supposed to think about those things.

"Yeah," She replied, resting her head on his shoulder, looking out into the city lights that outshined stars. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy all the comments you guys leave, the support means a lot!!!! I already had this written so I figured Id post some more today since yesterdays was a bit short. I have more written as well too, but im not finished yet by any means! I love talking to you guys in the comments, so please keep them coming! c:


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres a new chapter as an early christmas gift!!! i hope you all have a nice holiday and enjoy the chapter! c:

"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience." Adrien gave Marinette an apologetic smile as the two exited the school building. He had just explained how they wouldn't be able to go back to his house this afternoon because the cleaning service would be there all day and it would be a big distraction. Marinette didn't mind of course, and there was no way she could be upset when Adrien gave her those sad puppy eyes. Well, really, there was no way she could be upset with Adrien over anything ever probably.

"It's no problem!" Marinette said reassuringly. "We can just go to my house, it's fine, really."

Adrien nodded. "Alright. I brought our stuff to school and put it in my locker. I'll go grab it real quick and we can head over. It's just down the street right?"

She nodded and watched him go back into the building, letting out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Then Alya emerged from inside, sneaky as ever, and threw her arm around Marinette's shoulders.

"Look at you, lover-girl, getting Adrien to come to your place. Meet the parents. See your room. It's like you guys are engaged." Alya chided, waggling an eyebrow.

Marinette let out some incoherent stuttering sounds before mustering up a reply. "W-we are not! Alya!"

"I know, silly, I'm just messing with you." She laughed, squeezing her friend's shoulders. "But seriously, what are you going to do about your room?"

"What about my room?" Marinette asked, confused.

"Hello?" Alya waved her hand in front of Marinette's face as if she were blind. "The dozens of pictures you have of him on your walls?"

Marinette's face blanched. "Oh, no," She said, covering her mouth. "Oh no, oh no, oh NO! Alya, what am I going to do?"

"That's what I just asked you!" Alya replied, poking her worried friend. She could probably sense that Marinette was about to go into one of her hysterical "what-if" fits, so she tried to help before she freaked out even more. "What if you just don't go in your room? Work in the living room instead. Say your rooms is messy or something."

"That... might work." Marinette thought aloud, some of the color returning to her face. "Yeah, I'll say that I was working on designs last night and that it's a disaster in there!" Marinette never thought she'd be so happy about having a messy room.

"There we go, problem solved." Alya grinned, nudging Marinette in the side as Adrien returned back outside, poster board underneath his arm.

"Hey, Alya," He greeted, smiling. "Sorry I've been stealing Marinette away from you recently."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Alya replied, a sly look on her face. "You two kids take all the time you need on your project. Me and Nino are busy too anyways." And with that she scampered away, presumably to find her own project partner, a farewell wink cast towards Marinette much to her own annoyance and embarrassment. Adrien didn't seem to notice, though.

"Shall we go?" He asked, nodding in the direction of the bakery.

Marinette just smiled and nodded, the two beginning to walk and cross the street. She was thankful that she lived right next to the school so that there wouldn't be much awkward silence on the walk over. The two were there in a matter of minutes, opening up the front door to inhale the sweet warm scent of the bakery. Her mother was sitting at her post in front of the register reading a novel to pass the time. As soon as the doorbells jingled she looked up, smiling at her daughter, and then to the boy who followed her inside.

"Hey, mom." Marinette suddenly felt nervous (or at least more so than usual) at the prospect of introducing Adrien to her parents, even though there was no way they could dislike someone like him. "T-this is my, uh, friend, Adrien. I thought it would be ok if we worked on our project here today."

Sabine nodded at Marinette and then turned her gaze over to Adrien who had walked over, his hand outstretched. She took it and smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Adrien. You're more than welcome to work on your project here."

"Likewise. Thank you, Madame Cheng," Adrien replied politely, removing his hand after shaking hers. Marinette gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before gesturing for Adrien to follow her to the back of the shop, opening up a door and walking up the stairs to enter their living room.

"M-my rooms a mess right now," Marinette lied, setting her backpack down on the couch. "I didn't know you'd be coming over and I was busy working last night and, I, um..."

"It's fine," Adrien said, saving her from embarrassing herself further. "We can just work here." He set down his bag as well, along with the supplies he'd gotten from his locker. He unzipped his bag and pulled out his tablet and book, ready to continue researching.

Marinette sat down on the couch, pulling her own tablet out, prepared to do more than just decorate like she did last time. She wasn't the best at literature, but she was sure she could help in some way. She pulled out the rubric Madame Bustier had given them and began looking over it.

"So, what do you need help with on here?"

\- - -

The time had flown by again, but this time it wasn't in comfortable silence, it was with conversation and laughter. The two had been working, but now that they were both doing research it gave Marinette the opportunity to talk to Adrien more, asking questions and pointing out things she thought were important. Adrien had been more than patient and kind with her, taking in her suggestions and bouncing back with his own ideas. They even joked around a little bit, Adrien taking the drawing of the snake digesting the elephant and putting it on top of his head like the hat the adults in the story thought it was. Marinette had laughed, even if it wasn't super hilarious, she enjoyed seeing Adrien's playful side.

They had even made a game, making up tiny planet possibilities and describing them in detail. Marinette had made up one that was completely made of marshmallows, even the inhabitants. Adrien had laughed, saying that it wouldn't last very long if people found this planet because they would want to eat it. He on the other hand had made up a tiny planet that was actually just a very large egg that contained a dinosaur, floating aimlessly around the cosmos in search of it's mother. Marinette had giggled, retorting that his planet was just as impractical as hers.

And then before they knew it, it was dark again, and Marinette had never hated the moon more than she did that night. Adrien had called his driver to come pick him up, and Marinette had walked him downstairs to wait with him, not wanting him to stand alone on the street in the cold. They had stood in silence for a little while before Marinette got the courage to speak up.

"I had a lot of fun today," She said, glancing over at Adrien from the corner of her eye. She saw him smile, and she felt a familiar blush start to dust her cheeks.

"Me too," He replied, green eyes twinkling in the light from the streetlamp that hung overhead.

And before she could say anything else the white limousine rounded the corner and stopped in front of them. Adrien opened the door and dropped his stuff inside, turning to Marinette before getting in himself. "Again tomorrow?"

"O-of course!" She stammered, nodding her head. Adrien nodded back and climbed inside the car, and even though it was stupid because she'd see him tomorrow, Marinette wished deeply that he didn't have to go.

Adrien looked at her from inside the car, his hand pressed up against the window as he waved goodbye to her, the limo starting up and beginning to move away. Marinette stood there for a moment, reveling in the familiar scene that had just occurred. She felt self conscious for a moment, but there was no way he could know she was Ladybug. It seemed déjà vu was something that was happening to her a lot lately. She shook off the feeling and headed back inside.

Marinette made her way up to the top of her balcony, looking out over the city with her head in her hands. Tikki emerged, stretching, probably tired from being cooped up all day.

"You ready to go?" Tikki asked, floating in front of Marinette's field of view.

"I don't know," Marinette replied. "Do you think Chat Noir will show up tonight?"

"Well, he should," Tikki pointed out. "What you said to him last night sounded convincing to me."

"He seemed pretty out of it, though," Marinette sighed. "I think... I'll just wait a bit. I have some reading to do anyway."

It had been a few years since Marinette had actually last read Le Petit Prince, it was clear from her and Adrien's conversations on the book earlier, so he had decided to lend her his copy so that she could get a better handle on the book as a whole before they presented. She didn't want to sound dumb in front of the class, so of course she had taken the book and promised to read it. It was a short story anyway, so it wouldn't take her that long, at least that's what she thought.

Marinette had been sitting on the balcony reading for a while, studiously taking notes as she did, excited to point certain things out to Adrien the following day. Time had gotten away from her, and when she finally looked at her phone to check the hour she was surprised to see that it was nearly midnight.

"Oh my god, Tikki!" She exclaimed, standing up and abandoning her book. "Why didn't you tell me it was so late?"

Tikki looked up from where she had been resting and watching Marinette study. "After a few hours passed I just figured, well, she deserves a little break."

Marinette sighed, unable to be mad at her friend. She stretched her arms above her head before replying. "Just for one night though, so then me and him are even."

"So, you and who are even?"

Marinette spun around at the familiar voice, her eyes practically jumping out of her skull. Tikki quickly made herself scarce, and Marinette clutched her phone to her ear. "O-oh, I gotta go, talk to you later Alya." She falsely hung up on her cell and tucked it into her back pocket. "Chat Noir? W-what are you doing here?"

The familiar boy was daintily perched on all fours on the railing of her balcony, tail swinging idly behind him. "I was just in the neighborhood. Saw you reading up here and thought I'd stop by to see how my favorite princess was doing." A playful smirk was plastered across his face as he talked, making his was down from the railing to stand and lean against it.

"Well, I'm fine," She replied, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Where's Ladybug?" She asked, as if she didn't already know.

"She took the night off," Chat replied, smoothly. "I don't blame her, though. People get busy, things happen."

"Mmm.." Marinette hummed in reply, not sure what to make of this midnight rendezvous on her rooftop. "So... what do you want?"

"You wound me, princess," Chat said, touching his clawed hand to his heart. "Can't a boy just come to see a pretty girl on a nice night like this?" He stepped closer to her, and she took a step back in response, giving him a dirty look. "Alright, you got me," He held up his hands, taking back his step. "I figured since the night was quiet and Ladybug was absent that I would have the chance to ask you something I've been wondering."

"What is it?" Marinette asked. She could feel herself stiffen in anticipation.

"You go to school with a Monsieur Adrien Agreste, no?" Chat questioned, even though he clearly already knew the answer.

"Y-yes," Marinette replied, trying to sound as confident as she could. She was starting to get a feeling about where this was going.

"I was wondering, what makes him so... I don't know," Chat gestured with his hands, searching for the correct word. "Likable?"

Marinette just stared at him for a while, trying to read him and his intentions. Chat's face was different than usual, he looked at her with genuine curiosity, hands folded, patiently waiting for the answer to a question that Marinette found beyond obvious.

"Why wouldn't he be?" She tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed. She lifted her hand, beginning to count off traits on her fingers. "He's kind, smart, selfless, handsome –"

"Handsome?" Chat interrupted, raising a suggestive eyebrow. Marinette just rolled her eyes.

"Why are you even asking me this?" She prodded, suddenly feeling her Ladybug side come out with her next teasing question. "Got a crush on him?"

Chat howled with laughter, and Marinette couldn't help but smirk at her own joke.

"Oh, you kill me, princess." Chat said between fits of laughter, wiping his eyes. "Quite the opposite actually, you could say he's a rival of mine."

"A rival?" Marinette looked at him in disbelief, suddenly feeling protective. "Well don't get any funny ideas now, Chat Noir. He's a good person, I won't let you go around trying to –"

"Woah, woah, woah," Chat cut her off again, raising his hands in surrender. "I didn't say I was gonna hunt the kid down. No need to get so feisty."

Marinette let out a huff of breath, feeling her face getting hot. "I'm not feisty," She protested, arms tightening around her chest.

"Suuure," Chat chided, his classically annoying grin reappearing on his face. "I promise you I'm not going to mess with him, okay? I was just wondering why he's such hot stuff."

"Just because he's a famous model doesn't mean he's not a good person with feelings that matter," Marinette found herself muttering under her breath, no longer meeting Chat's gaze.

"I know that," Chat mumbled in reply, sounding despondent. "Guess I got my work cut out for me then, huh?" The smile he pulled looked like it hurt.

"You know," Marinette began, walking closer to Chat. "You may be a cocky, egotistical goofball –"

"Hey!"

"But you're not all that bad. Don't sell yourself short," Marinette finished. She was close enough now to touch him, her hand hovering over his heart. But she wasn't Ladybug right now, she had to remind herself.

“ _And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye._ ” She quoted, just having read the line in Le Petit Prince. Marinette felt it was relevant in the moment. Even though she knew who Chat Noir was trying to win over, she couldn't help but feel bad and try to lift his spirits. He really wasn't a bad guy.

Chat Noir looked surprised, and for a second if Marinette wasn't imagining things, almost like he was going to start tearing up. He grabbed her hand that was now clenched in a fist at her side, and brought it up towards his lips, giving her knuckles a gentle kiss. She should've pulled away like she always did, but she let it linger just for once. She wasn't Ladybug anyway, not right now.

"Thanks, Marinette," Chat whispered, his gentle smile reaching his eyes. Marinette swallowed, suddenly feeling her heart grow louder in her ears. She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself.

"But if Adrien's your rival, then good luck, because it's definitely going to be tough," She said, taking a small step backwards. And then his normal smile was back.

"Maybe you'll just be my lucky charm," Chat said, punctuating his sentence with a wink. He climbed back up onto the railing, his back to her. " _No one is ever satisfied where he is._ " He whispered, seemingly to no one, before turning to face her once more. "Thanks again, princess. I'll see you around." And with that he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Marinette to sit and ponder over what had just happened to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my laptop was broken so I haven't been able to write at all, but I had this already done so I thought I'd share it (even though its short) as penance for not posting for a while. my laptop's fixed though and I'm ready to write so be prepared for more soon! thanks again to everyone who comments and leaves kudos, it really means a lot to me c:

The next day Marinette found herself back in Adrien’s bedroom, sprawled out on the floor once again. But instead of glitter-glueing everything she was writing information down on the board while Adrien began to type up the essay portion of the project. It was a quiet day like the first, no light and fun conversation like they had had yesterday. Adrien had seemed a bit off, as if he were too deep in thought to do much of anything other than type up the essay. He did, however, constantly glance over at her, which made her feel a bit self-conscious. Marinette didn’t want to pry though, so she took the silence as it came, focusing on her own work.

But she didn’t like the silence. She wanted the funny Adrien back who would make up silly planets with her. At one point she had drawn the photo of the snake who had eaten the elephant and put it on her own head, making a silly face to go along with it. Adrien had smiled, but it was superficial. Marinette felt her heart ache for him.

Before it became too dark, she decided to be bold and make a suggestion. “H-hey, we’ve been working pretty hard these past few days. How about we, uh, take a break. Go get some ice cream or something? There’s this really nice place just down the block, they have the best strawberry gelato.”

Adrien thought about it for a moment before replying. “Sure,” He said, actually looking like he was perking up a bit at the idea. He got up from his seat at the desk and helped Marinette up from the floor, taking her hand. His felt solid in her own, and she didn’t want to let go, but she knew it wasn’t the time or place for something like that, nor did she have the guts, so she let go.

The pair made their way silently out of the house. Marinette insisted that they could walk, and Adrien obliged, the two making their way down the street to the ice cream parlor in the distance. It was a silent walk, but Marinette didn’t mind as much as before, keeping her eyes on the prize.

Upon entering they made their way over to the counter, the shopkeeper recognized Marinette, welcoming her and her boyfriend inside.

Wait. Boyfriend?

Marinette’s eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically in front of her, as if to get the idea out of the room. “H-he’s not – we’re n-not –”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” The woman said, looking slightly embarrassed that she had made the insinuation.

“It’s alright,” Adrien spoke up, placing a gentle hand on Marinette’s shoulder. She let out a quiet sigh, averting Adrien’s gaze, instead staring intently at the flavors behind the glass.

“I’ll take some strawberry in a waffle cone,” Marinette mumbled, the previous embarrassment still lingering in her head.

“I’ll have a cup of pistachio,” Adrien said, pulling out his wallet.

“N-no! You don’t have to do that. I’m the one who suggested the place,” Marinette protested, frantically reaching inside her purse to retrieve money to pay for herself.

“Don’t worry about it, Marinette,” Adrien said, placing the bills on the counter. “My treat.” He grabbed the two ice creams, handing her the pink one.

“Thank you,” Was all she could muster up to say. After receiving the change they decided to take a table outside since the weather had been relatively nice.

Marinette lapped away at her cone, watching as the sun began to go down in the distance, painting Paris in various hues of orange and pink, the lights in the city beginning to turn on one by one as the day came to an end. Adrien watched as well, pushing his ice cream around with his spoon, occasionally scooping some up into his mouth. Marinette longed for the sun to never go down so that they could just sit there forever, stuck in between day and night, surrounded by soft yellow light and quiet background noise.

“ _One loves the sunset when one is so sad._ ” Marinette quoted, not really thinking about it. She felt Adrien’s gaze turn towards her and she met it with her own, smiling at him shyly. She wasn’t going to question him about his personal life, they weren’t that close in all honesty. If he wanted to open up to her she would let him, though, with open arms and an open heart. It had been clear from the silence all day that something was wrong.

"Do you ever wonder if you’re doing everything right?” Adrien asked, tilting his head. He turned his eyes back onto his cup of ice cream, swirling it around idly as it melted under the last rays of the sun.

“All the time,” Marinette admitted, wiping off her lips with a napkin.“But who's to say what’s right and what’s wrong? I think you should just follow your heart. N-not just _you_ , I mean, but everyone.”

That got Adrien’s attention. “I guess you’re right,” He replied, turning his gaze back onto her, a smile forming that seemed authentic for the first time that day. “You’re a good friend, Marinette.”

She felt her chest tighten up, feeling like a balloon that was about to burst. “S-so are you,” She returned, hiding her blushing face behind what was left of her ice cream.

The sun was completely down now, the purple sky fading to black as it began to shroud the city in dark colorlessness. It was starless as usual, and Marinette let out a quiet sigh, finishing up her cone.

“Beauty is fleeting, I suppose.” She commented, staring into the night sky void of life other than the pale moon that shone on effortlessly.

“Not always,” Adrien countered. She found him staring at her when she turned her gaze back to Earth, and blushed furiously. “Come on,” he said, standing up. “Let’s get you home for the night.”

\- - -

Ladybug gracefully swung her way from building to building, the crisp night air brushing past her cheeks with every flick of her yo-yo. After her ice cream not- _really_ -a-date with Adrien her mood had skyrocketed, and she felt weightless as she soared through her city, only coming  to a halt when she noticed a familiar figure perched atop their usual meet up place, swinging over to land beside him with ease.

“Good evening, my lady,” Chat Noir purred, bowing slightly in her direction. “You look beautiful as ever.”

She rolled her eyes at the silly gesture. “And you look, well, less raggedy than usual I suppose,” She retorted. It wasn’t meant to be a great compliment, but by the grin on Chat’s face it sure looked like he had taken it as one.

“Why thank you,” He replied, moving to sit down, cross legged. He gestured for her sit sit beside him and she reluctantly obeyed, giving him a questioning look. “Since it’s been quiet for a while, as you know, I figured maybe this could be a good time to get to know each other.”

“Chat, you know I –”

“I know, I know,” He cut off, waving her thought away with his hand. “I respect your privacy my lady, I just thought we could play a harmless little question game. Nothing about our identities, just general stuff.”

Ladybug thought about it for a moment. Chat’s face looked innocent enough, and she did kind of want to get to know more about him other than his cocky feline side. She nodded, resting her head on her hand. “Alright then, what kind of game are we talking about?”

“Just a basic question and answer game. We each take turns asking something, nothing that will reveal our identities of course, no lying, and we can choose not to answer if we want, but that makes us lose a point.”

“There are points now?”

“Of course!” Chat exclaimed, “What kind of game would be fun if there wasn’t a winner?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes again. “Fine. You go first.”

“Favorite color?” Chat asked. It was probably the most innocent sounding thing to ever leave his mouth.

“Pink,” Ladybug replied with ease. “Do you really like cats that much?”

That made Chat laugh. “I was never crazy about them before, but I guess I’ve grown fonder of them.” He brought his belt-tail around and began to fiddle with it in his hands. “What do you like to do with your free time? Besides this whole superhero thing.”

Ladybug hesitated a moment before answering, but she figured there were plenty of people who shared her hobbies so it was safe. “I like to design things. Are you always such a flirt?”

“Only with you, my lady,” He winked at her and she shook her head in response. “Favorite film?”

“Mulan,” She admitted with a shy grin. “Do you… have a job other than this?”

“Yeah,” Chat replied, frowning. “It’s not nearly as fun as this though. Does anyone know that you’re Ladybug?”

“Nope,” She answered, leaning back on her hands. “Just me and my kwami. You?”

“Same here,” Chat claimed. “Do you ever want to tell anyone?”

“All the time,” Ladybug sighed, thinking of Alya. It would probably blow her mind, and she’d be so ecstatic, but she’d also be put into danger. “But I have to think about their safety,” She concluded firmly. “Do you have a best friend?”

“Besides you? Yeah I do, he’s pretty great,” Chat said, smiling fondly.

“Y-you think of me as one of your best friends?” Ladybug asked, surprised. She felt touched, but also sorry for him. If he considered her one of his best friends then he must not have that many to begin with.

“Hey now, it’s not your turn anymore,” Chat chided, waving his finger at her. “Do you know Adrien Agreste personally?”

Ladybug widened her eyes before averting them away from Chat, not wanting to give anything away. “Pass.” _Guess he’s not going to let that one go._  She thought. She decided to turn the tables back onto him. “Do _you_?”

Chat copied her answer, but he looked more smug about it than shy like she had. “Pass. How old are you?”

It was such a simple question, she was surprised they didn’t know that about each other already. “Fifteen. You?”

“Fifteen,” He mirrored, thinking for a little bit before asking his next question. “Do you like being Ladybug?”

She had to think for a moment before replying, the question catching her off guard. She had never really thought about if she liked being Ladybug, she always just sort of did it because she was asked to and because it was the right thing. “Yeah, most of the time,” She decided. “What’s the best part about being Chat Noir?”

“Getting away from my responsibilities,” He answered without hesitation. Chat must’ve realized how odd and sudden it sounded so he continued. “I don’t mean like, chores and stuff. It’s kind of hard to explain. My home life isn’t the best, so I guess this is just a nice outlet to be free. Someone I’m not usually, y'know?”

Ladybug nodded because it was all she really could do. She wasn’t going to pry at his personal life, even if she wanted to a little bit.

“Do you like anybody?” Chat asked suddenly. His tone wasn’t cocky or suggestive to Ladybug’s surprise, but genuine.

“Pass.” She could’ve just as easily been truthful and said yes, yes she did like somebody very much with every fiber in her body, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to risk making their relationship incredibly awkward by putting that thought in Chat’s head, and she didn’t ask him the same question with the fear of already knowing the answer. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope,” He replied with a yawn. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Chocolate covered strawberries. Favorite school subject?”

“Physics. Are you as tired as I am?”

“Most definitely.” Ladybug stretched her arms over her head, sighing. “We should probably turn in for the night.”

“You know you lost, right?” Chat asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ladybug shook her head, moving to stand. “It’s my turn, and I still have one more question.”

“Mmm, and what is it?” He hummed, standing up beside her, his green eyes aglow with a curiosity that would probably be the death of him.

“What’s your name?”

He opened his mouth instinctively as if to answer, inhaling a sharp breath before clamping his jaw shut. “Hey now, that’s cheating.”

Ladybug smirked. “You can’t beat me, Chat Noir.”

And then he took a step closer to her, his hands gently resting on her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eye, all playfulness lost from his face. “You know, if you _really_   wanted to know the answer to that question, I would tell you. But I think we both know that you don’t. Not right now, anyway.”

Ladybug opened her mouth to answer, but words wouldn’t form and she was left gaping up at him dumbly. She swallowed and lowered her head, her bangs brushing his chest. “Sorry,” Was all she could manage say.

“It’s alright,” He had more bounce in his tone this time, and he moved his hands so that his arms wrapped around her shoulders in a soft embrace. Ladybug’s eyes widened as her face was buried in his chest, hands limp at her sides until she got up the courage to lightly wrap them around the small of his back. “Thanks for playing the game with me, Winner. Even if you did break the rules at the end.”

Ladybug laughed airily, a smile returning to her face as she closed her eyes, reveling in his warmth. But then she remembered that it was late, and that she needed to return back to reality. She reluctantly pulled away from him, grabbing her yo-yo from her waist. “We better get back home,” She said, walking away from him towards the edge of the building, not wanting him to see he blush that stained her face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, kitty.”

And she swung away, wondering why she let Chat Noir hold her in a way that she only ever wanted Adrien to.


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette and Adrien were practically done with their project at this point. Marinette had put all the finishing touches on the poster board, glitter and illustrations woven around the typed information they had printed out and plastered onto it, and Adrien was proof reading and editing the essay he had been writing to accompany their visual.

They were at Adrien’s once again, the room filled with quiet sighs and the tapping of fingers on a keyboard. Marinette had propped up the tri-fold, looking at it’s completed self in all it’s glory, beaming with pride at her work. Adrien must’ve noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye because he turned away from the computer screen to look at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he looked at the board she had so carefully put together.

“You did a really great job, Marinette,” Adrien complimented. She could feel butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach at his praise. “I’m almost done editing the paper. You wanna read it over real quick to see if there’s any mistakes?”

“Sure,” Marinette complied, making her way towards the desk. She had gotten better at not stuttering and making a fool out of herself around Adrien these past few days. It felt surreal how comfortable she had become around him, thinking back to only last week when she could hardly get two coherent sentences out around the boy.

Adrien got up from the chair, gesturing for her to sit down. She reluctantly took his place, turning her focus onto the essay Adrien had so thoughtfully put together. She couldn’t help but feel his gaze bore into her as she kept her eyes trained on the screen, having to reread sentences because she kept letting her mind wander to the boy sitting next to her. Marinette thought about how this might be the last day they spend time together since their project was practically finished. She selfishly wanted to tell Adrien that the essay was terrible, that he had to rewrite everything just so that they could spend more time together, but that wasn’t right. Nor could she lie about how good his writing was.

“It’s perfect,” Marinette concluded, turning her gaze from the screen onto the grinning boy sitting on the bed. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Adrien replied. He stood up, making his way back to the desk, leaning over Marinette as he took the mouse in his hand to print the paper. She could feel her face heat up from the proximity, his arm brushing hers as he clicked the print button, the loud sound of the machine beginning to work startling her out of her daze. She shot up from her seat, shuffling away shyly.

“So… I-I guess we’re all done then,” Marinette pointed out, her stutter momentarily making a comeback at the worst possible time.

“I guess we are,” Adrien agreed, placing his hands on his hips in triumph. “We make a good team, Marinette.”

The way he said her name made her want to melt into the floor. She nodded, unable to properly form words.

“How about we go out and celebrate?” Adrien suggested, his eyebrow raised.

“But we haven’t even presented yet, or gotten a grade,” Marinette protested, looking confused.

“Yeah, but come on,” Adrien bargained, shrugging his shoulders. “I know we’re going to do great. And it’s really nice out, it’d be a shame to waste the rest of the day.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Marinette began, unable to deny Adrien anything. “I guess I can’t say no. What did you have in mind?”

\- - -

Marinette felt as if she had been picked up and dropped into a movie setting by the way her evening was going. It had started off with her and Adrien getting sweets and hot chocolate from a nearby cafe, talking about nothing and laughing all the while. Marinette of course had tried to pay for herself yet again, but was thwarted by Adrien’s politeness as usual. Afterwards as the sun started to go down, they casually walked the dimly lit streets of Paris, making idle conversation as Adrien led the way to a location he had yet to disclose to Marinette. Although as they came nearer and nearer to their destination, it started to become blatantly obvious.

“What are we doing here?” Marinette asked as the two approached the base of the Eiffel Tower.

“I thought we could go up to the top,” Adrien answered, staring up into iron lattice work. “I’ve never been up to the top at night, I thought it might be fun.”

Marinette hugged her arms close to her chest. It was getting cold out, and it was only going to be colder up at the top of the tower, but there was no way she was going to say no to going up to arguably the most romantic spot in the city with the boy she'd been crushing on for over a year. “Sounds great!” She exclaimed, sticking her hands deep into her pink coat pockets.

They got their tickets and decided to take the lifts up to the top instead of the stairs. They were accompanied by a few tourists as they made their ascent, the two looking out the window as they went up, marveling at the way Paris sparkled at night. Of course, Marinette was used to seeing the sight almost every night, but her and Chat Noir didn’t make an effort to scale the Eiffel Tower all the time. This was different.

They changed elevators on the second floor to go to the top, neither of them saying much as they went up, both too busy looking at their surroundings. By the time they made it to the apex of the tower Marinette didn’t care if her nose fell off from the cold that bit at her, that’s how beautiful it was. Marinette clutched at the fence that separated her from the sky and stared open mouthed at the city, looking out into the sea of lights spread out beneath her. She could also see her breath in front of her face, and suddenly she felt something warm and familiar wrap around her neck.

“You looked cold,” Adrien explained after looking at her confused gaze, a shy expression on his face as he finished wrapping Marinette in the blue scarf that she had made him for his birthday. Not that he knew she had made it of course. She was touched that he still used the old thing, even if he did think it was from his father, he wore something she made and he enjoyed it. Marinette felt her face get warmer, whether it was from the scarf or her own embarrassment she couldn’t tell. Either way, she simply smiled up at him in thanks.

“It’s very beautiful,” Marinette commented, leaning up against the railing. She glanced over at Adrien, his face awash with soft yellow light. It reminded her of the perfume advertisement he had posed for, the one Chat had made fun of.

“Yeah, it is,” Adrien agreed, leaning on the railing next to her. “Thanks for coming up here with me, Marinette.”

“Thanks for taking me up here,” Marinette replied, flashing him her best smile. She couldn’t tell if his cheeks were pink because he was blushing or because of the weather, but she figured it had to be the latter of the two.

“We should hangout more often,” Adrien suggested. “And not just to do schoolwork, you know. Stuff like this.”

Marinette wanted to scream with joy, but she restrained herself. “I would like that,” She managed to squeak out.

The two stood in silence for a while, staring out quietly into the city that seemed so familiar and yet so new at the same time. She had seen the same sight with Chat Noir many times in the past, but with Adrien it felt so fresh and different. From Ladybug’s eyes it was a city with the potential to be threatened at any waking moment, but from Marinette’s eyes it was the city of love.

She was hyper aware of the fact that their elbows were touching where they stood, and tried to ignore the warmth igniting inside her from the contact. The muffled conversations of tourists hummed in the air that surrounded them, making the silence between them comfortable and not deafening. Marinette yawned quietly, covering her mouth as she did, feeling the sudden urge to rest her head against Adrien’s shoulder before realizing that they weren’t  _ that _ comfortable with each other just yet.

Adrien noticed her tiredness, removing himself from his position against the railing. “I suppose it’s time we get you home. I’ve kept you out pretty late, huh? Sorry about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck shyly, and Marinette thought it was quite possibly the cutest thing in the universe.

“Don’t be sorry,” Marinette reassured. “I had a lot of fun today.”

Adrien nodded in agreement. “Well then, shall we make our descent?” He offered his arm to her, a familiar smile on his face. Marinette shoved her nerves and anxiety deep down inside her, allowing herself to take up his arm with the confidence of Ladybug.

“Let’s take the stairs this time.”

\- - -

Ladybug soared threw the city, feeling like she was on top of the world that night. After her day with Adrien she felt like she could do anything. It was hard to believe that only a week ago she could hardly talk to him, and now she felt comfortable enough to joke around and even  _ flirt _ with him a little bit. It was an incredible transition for her, and yet it all felt so natural. After she got over the fact that he was indeed  _ Adrien Agreste _ , incredibly smooth and handsome part-time model, he was just Adrien, a sweet guy her age who just wanted to be happy and make friends. 

So it was no surprise when she landed on top of the Agreste’s Mansion after patrolling that evening, it having become a place where she felt safe and comfortable. She slung her yo-yo across her waist, not having taken a break since she had started out on patrol that night. She stretched her arms above her head and inhaled deeply, taking in the view. 

She had seen Chat Noir earlier that night, but the two didn’t talk much, each of them seeming caught up in their own thoughts. They had also cut the patrol short, claiming fatigue and using the excuse of the recently quiet city as means to go home for the night. Even though Ladybug  _ was _ tired, and the city wasn’t in peril, she wasn’t ready to go home just yet.

Ladybug took a seat on the edge of the rooftop, her spotted legs dangling over the edge as she became lost in thought, eyes fixed on the passing traffic as if in a trance. That is, until a familiar blonde figure passed through her peripheral vision. Adrien was standing in the courtyard of his home, looking up at her like a deer in headlights. 

She suddenly felt embarrassed. This wasn’t the first time he had caught her taking a rest stop on his roof. But her worry melted away when she saw his face break into a ridiculous smile, his hand rising to wave up at her. It seemed that the gesture was becoming a tradition for them.

She couldn’t help but grin and wave back, feeling familiar sparks light up inside her chest. But this was dangerous territory. She was trying to get him to like Marinette after all, not Ladybug, and being here could only give the boy mixed signals. She stood up and grabbed her weapon from her side, ready to salute Adrien goodbye and whip her yo-yo to the building across the street and take off when she heard a shout, halting her in her tracks.

“Wait!” Adrien called from down below, waving his hands up at her to get her to stop from leaving. Ladybug blinked at him in surprise, her arm that was raised to throw her yo-yo dropping down to her side. And then he was beckoning her to come down, and against Ladybug’s better judgement, she found herself leaping off the edge to face him. 

“Do you need something?” She asked, trying to sound as casual and aloof as possible, hands placed sternly on her hips.

“Well, not really,” Adrien admitted, sticking his hands into his pockets nervously. “I guess I just wanted to say hi?”

Ladybug couldn’t help but laugh. “Well then, hello,” She replied, looking up at Adrien with a sense of mischief. 

“Sorry, it’s kind of stupid. I guess I just wanted to properly introduce myself to you.” He held out his hand to her and she took it with ease and familiarity. “Adrien Agreste.”

“Ladybug,” She replied, reluctantly letting go of his hand. “But I guess you probably already knew that.”

“And I guess you probably already knew mine too.” His voice was reserved, but his small smirk said otherwise. 

Ladybug shrugged, trying to keep up an air of mystery. “Either way, it’s nice to officially meet you. Sorry I’ve been using your roof as a vantage point recently, but it’s got a really nice view, and it’s an easy stop.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. Feel free to use my roof anytime you want,” Adrien reassured. Ladybug felt at ease next to him, and began to wonder if he felt the same way. He did seem pretty calm and collected for someone who was talking to the hero of Paris, but then again he was pretty famous himself.

“Thank you,” She responded, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Anyways, what’s a guy like you doing out so late? Coming home from a hot date?”

Did she really just say that? Did she really just insinuate that what he and Marinette had gone out and done this evening was, in fact, a _ date _ ? Ladybug hid her embarrassed, dying interior with a smirking mask that she plastered on her face. 

“Something like that.”

It was such a simple and genuine answer that Ladybug felt herself caught off guard by it. She hid her surprise with her changing expression, going into protective superhero-mode. “Well, try not to stay out too late next time. You never know what could happen. It’s a dangerous city.”

“Not when I know you’re in it,” Adrien replied smoothly, with a gaze that could kill. Ladybug could feel her cheeks beginning to heat up and she instinctively reached to her waist for her yo-yo to make a retreat.

“I might not be there next time, you should be careful,” She chided, tossing her yo-yo to the top of the gate that surrounded the mansion. “Anyways, I better be going. I’ll see you around.”

Then she felt his hand grab her forearm, stopping her from leaving. She turned to face him, his green eyes glowing in the dark with an expression she couldn’t quite pinpoint. 

“You’re always there.”

Ladybug stared up at him blankly for a moment, all thoughts wiped from her mind with his one, simple sentence. She felt the urge to kiss him, but there was no way she could do that, so instead she smiled sadly, and removed his hand gently from her arm, squeezing it softly before letting go.

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

Her grip on the string of her yo-yo tightened as she pulled herself away from the ground and into the sky, not looking back due to the fear that if she did, she would just end up swinging back down into Adrien’s arms. 

\- - -

Back in her room, Marinette sighed, flopping down onto her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Tikki took a seat beside her, gently stroking her pigtail as she groaned in despair. 

“Tikki why is this so complicated. He can’t like me  _ and  _ Ladybug.”

“But you  _ are  _ Ladybug, Marinette.” Tikki reminded her. 

“He doesn’t know that. And he  _ can’t _ know that. Ever.” 

“Maybe things will work out on their own.”

Marinette wanted to believe Tikki’s optimistic words, but it was hard. Even though she was Ladybug, it really did feel like she was two completely different people at times. All she really wanted was for Adrien to love every side of her, mask or no mask. Marinette rolled over in her bed, Tikki floating down to rest on her chest, earning herself a gentle rub on the head.

“I sure hope so,” Marinette sighed. “I really do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought we could all use a little ladrien in our lives c;  
> I got something big planned for the next chapter so stay tuned! thanks again for all the support you guys ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SHORT, I know, but bear with me. I have a lot more written but it just didn't feel right to make it into one HUUUUGE chapter, so I'll post another longer chapter in a couple days so be patient! and be ready for some maaaaajor adrienette B)

Since it was the weekend Marinette decided to take it easy. Her and Adrien had already finished their project, so she was really free to do as she pleased (not that she had minded working on the project with Adrien in the least). Even though Adrien had put out the idea that they should hangout more, she hadn’t gotten any messages from him, which of course she didn’t blame him for at all. He was an extremely busy person after all, Marinette had the schedule to prove it.

So instead Marinette found herself sitting with Alya, enjoying a nice picnic at Place des Vosges. The sun was out that day so the weather was being agreeable, and the two decided that they hadn’t had much one-on-one time together since their projects had been assigned. And _of course_ Alya wanted every juicy detail about Marinette’s time spent with Adrien. Marinette, of course, relayed the events with enthusiasm, telling her friend even the most trivial of things that had occurred. She found herself wanting to gossip about her time spent with Chat Noir as well, but she knew she couldn’t, so she kept quiet on those finer details.

“I can’t believe you two basically went on a  _ date _ ! And he asked you to go out  _ again _ !” Alya exclaimed, her hands waving in the air frantically. Marinette laughed nervously, fiddling with her thumbs.

“I mean, I don’t know if it was a  _ date _ …” Marinette mumbled shyly, even though she was all too aware of Adrien’s comment when Ladybug called it such.

“Oh, come on. Top of the Eiffel Tower at night, arm in arm? I don’t know about you but I’d call that one romantic date,” Alya claimed. Even though Marinette wouldn’t say it out loud, she couldn’t help but think the same thing. “You guys are seriously getting somewhere. I’m surprised he hasn’t texted or called you already asking you out for a second date!”

“Alya, please,” Marinette objected. “You and I both know he’s a busy person. It’s not like I’m his top priority or anything.”

“Well, you should be,” Alya commented, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Marinette giggled in reply, she couldn’t help but feel giddy at the thought, ridiculous as it may be.

And then their friendly afternoon was cut short due to a large explosion occurring just across the street. Both Marinette and Alya were taken aback, grabbing at each other’s arms in shock as they stared up at the column of smoke rising up from the adjacent building, the sick scent of the fumes filling their noses. They were broken out of their initial surprise by the screams of civilians fleeing the area, and it only took one look at each other to know that they needed to follow suit. Even Alya, who usually rushed to the scene of action to try and spot the city’s heroes, knew that this wasn’t the right time to hang around, not with flames licking up and down the nearly every building on the street. 

It looked like the the person who created the fire was heading down the road in the direction away from the bakery, so the two began to book it back towards Marinette’s home in search of safety. But Marinette knew she had to get away somehow to find out what was going on. Thinking on her feet, she decided to take her purse off of her shoulder as they ran and tossed it away behind a nearby tree in the park. 

“I forgot my purse!” Marinette called to Alya, stopping in her tracks. “You go on, I’ll meet you inside!”

She hated lying to her best friend, but thankfully Alya nodded and continued running. Marinette hustled back towards where she had thrown her purse behind a tree to find a disheveled Tikki.

“Sorry, Tik –” Marinette began, only to be cut off. 

“I’m fine, no time for apologies! We need to find out what’s going on!” Tikki interjected, looking extremely fierce for someone so tiny. Marinette nodded, eyebrows furrowed in concern, mustering up her bravery. 

“Spots on!”

\- - -

Ladybug was in pursuit of the man engulfed in flames, shooting fire at anything he could get his hands on. Thankfully most of the people in the area had gotten the memo and had begun evacuating, so no one was in harm’s way. Ladybug stealthily kept on his trail, keeping her distance to try and gauge what he was trying to accomplish by burning down Paris. She was perched behind a chimney column when a hand tapped on her shoulder, causing her to spin around in surprise.

“Looks like it’s starting to  _ heat up _ in Paris today,” Chat Noir purred, his tail flicking behind him playfully.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Shut up and make yourself scarce,” She replied, tugging her partner behind the chimney with her. “We don’t want him to spot us. Not yet.”

“Ha!  _ Spot  _ us, nice one, my lady,” Chat laughed.

“Oh, God,” Ladybug sighed. Maybe this alleycat was starting to rub off on her subconsciously. 

She poked her head around the corner to see the flaming man making his way downtown, burning down trees for sport as he made his way. Chat Noir looked as well, eyes squinting to try and get a better look at the situation.

“It’s a fireman,” Chat commented.

“Well  _ obviously _ it’s a fire man, Chat. He’s covered in flames,” Ladybug retorted, beginning to get tired of his jokes in a situation like this. 

“No, not a man of fire, a  _ fireman.  _ Look at his helmet.” He said, pointing out the shiny metal hat that adorned the man’s head.

“Oh, you’re right,” Ladybug replied, looking over at her partner to see a serious look on his face for the first time in a while. “That’s probably where the akuma is.”

Chat nodded in agreement. “So, you got a plan?”

Ladybug smirked, removing her yo-yo from her waist. “Don’t I always?”

\- - -

The initial plan was to distract the Fireman and lead him to the Seine, where he would then be doused with water and be cool enough to be able to have his helmet removed. But of course, Hawkmoth hadn’t been absent for a while with no reason. The Fireman was stronger than they had anticipated, and because of this, the plan had gone wrong. 

Upon arriving at the Seine, Chat was in charge of distracting the Fireman on the bridge while Ladybug used lucky charm to get a giant red and black spotted bucket, which she planned to use to get water to douse the flames with. But one thing led to another and she had ended up using the bucket to protect Chat Noir when he was backed up into a corner by the Fireman.

The two were encased underneath the bucket as the Fireman’s flames continued to pour down onto them, making it unbearably hot, not to mention the melting hole that threatened to reveal them at any second.

“Thanks for the save, my lady, but I think we better get going,” Chat Noir suggested, gesturing to the melting metal in front of them. 

Ladybug gritted her teeth, gripping her yo-yo hard enough to make her knuckles turn white beneath her gloved hands. And then she got an idea, as she always eventually did. “Once it melts, I’ll distract him, you get out and break the supports on the bridge. We’ll fall into the Seine and his flames will extinguish, then we can get the helmet.”

Chat Noir looked worried for her sake, but nodded anyway. Ladybug began twirling her yo-yo around as a shield, protecting them both as the fire finally broke through. Chat dashed away as he was told, tucking his way underneath the bridge as Ladybug attempted to defend herself from the ongoing barrage of fire that flew towards her without yielding. As the bridge began to break and crumble beneath her from Chat’s cataclysm, Ladybug lost her balance, leaving herself wide open as the Fireman launched a final fireball at her, singing her right leg. 

Ladybug gasped in pain as the bridge began to give out beneath them. The Fireman’s surprise from the breaking bridge left him wide open as well though, and with her last remaining amount of energy, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo towards him, trapping him in it’s tight grip, forcing him to go down into the river with her.

Ladybug opened her eyes under the water to see the man struggling to swim back up to the surface. She tried to swim over to reach him until the pain in her right leg began to shoot through her, causing her to start struggling herself. That is until, a pair of strong arms found their way underneath hers, dragging her up to the surface. She began sputtering out water, hands gripping onto Chat’s arms with all her strength as he managed to bring her up to the nearby concrete shore. 

“T-The Fireman,” Ladybug coughed out, pointing weakly towards the man who splashed about in the water, searching for rescue. Chat Noir didn’t hesitate to jump back into the river and drag him up on the shore as well, removing his helmet after he did so. 

“Mind if I do the honors?” Chat asked, holding up the helmet.

“Not at all,” Ladybug sighed, still trying to catch her breath. Chat Noir dropped the helmet to the ground, stomping down on it to cause a black butterfly to fly out. He then helped Ladybug to her feet, supporting her as she de-evilized the akuma, setting the newly purified butterfly free. He continued to support her as she used Miraculous Ladybug to set the city back to normal. Only, not everything was the same. 

The burns on Ladybug’s leg were still there and still stinging. She tried to put weight on her right leg but only managed to fall back into Chat’s grasp.

“My lady, you can’t go anywhere, not like this,” Chat scolded, moving to put her arm around his shoulder to hold her up her better. Ladybug wanted to agree with him, but the beeping from her earrings said otherwise.

“I have to go, Chat, you don’t understand,” Ladybug pleaded, trying to break free of his hold, only for it to get tighter. She noticed his ring was beginning to lose pads as well.

“Just hold on, I’ll get you somewhere safe,” Chat promised. And before she could protest, Ladybug was being swept up into his arms, and he began to flee the scene. 

Ladybug didn’t struggle after that, she didn’t have the energy. And she trusted Chat Noir. She was going to change back, and soon, there was no stopping it. Maybe fate was trying to tell her something, and maybe it was about time she listened.

It wasn’t long before the pair ended up in an alleyway across the street from a hospital. Chat gently put her on the ground and inspected her leg, frowning. “You didn’t have to be so reckless y’know,” He commented.

“Well, you know me,” Ladybug replied, she tried to sound playful but her voice was gritty, the pain in her leg starting to really get to her. She took a deep breath, trying to suck it up as best she could. 

“I could close my eyes,” Chat offered suddenly, and Ladybug was taken aback for a moment, confused. 

“W-what?”

“I can’t take you in there as Ladybug. And I’m not going to leave you here alone,” Chat said, his tone serious. “I’ll close my eyes when you change, then bring you in there saying that you were a civilian who got caught in the crossfire.”

Ladybug thought about it for a moment. It seemed like the only option for her at this point, and it was extremely kind of Chat to offer such a thing. “Okay,” She replied, nodding her head slightly. She was practically laying in Chat’s lap, her head resting on his leg as the two waited for the final warning sound to go off. Ladybug knew she could turn her transformation off any time before, but she couldn’t find it in herself to do so, so they waited.

When the second to last beep went off, her earring only having one spot left, Ladybug decided now was as good a time as ever to properly thank him.

“Thanks for saving me back there, by the way. I know how much cats hate water. Must’ve been awful for you,” She said, reaching up to touch Chat’s damp hair, wiping it away from his face. His usual, flirtatious smile returned to his lips briefly, which she was thankful for.

“I’d swim across an ocean for you, my lady,” He replied smoothly, which made her laugh.

And then the final beep sounded off, Marinette looked up at Chat with worried eyes as he closed his, his same old smile still on his face. Pink enveloped her briefly and then she was back to her normal, everyday self, only her right leg still stung like hell. Tikki emerged as well and stealthily hid herself inside Marinette’s blazer. Marinette wrapped her arms around Chat’s neck as he picked her up off the ground bridal style.

“You’re going to have to direct me,” Chat said, eyes shut tightly just as he promised. Marinette nodded, and began to direct him out of the alley towards the hospital. It was only across the street so it wasn’t too difficult to get there, but before going into the building Marinette told him to stop.

“What is it?” Chat asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Marinette reached up and cupped Chat’s cheek in her hand momentarily, searching for the right words. “I just…” She began, her hand sliding back down to his neck. “Thank you. Again. For doing this. For respecting my privacy.”

“Your hands are very soft,” Chat said quietly, completely ignoring her thanks. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just that, I’ve never felt your hands without gloves.”

Marinette felt herself begin to blush and pulled on Chat’s hair in response. “You’re going to feel these hands slap you if you don’t stop that kind of talk. I don’t know why I stopped you, take me in the hospital already. You’re going to change soon too you know.”

Chat Noir laughed. “Yeah I am, but I’m not afraid to. Not in front of you.”

And then without saying anything else he walked into the hospital, handing her off to the nearest nurse and then making his retreat back outside. As they placed Marinette on a gurney she watched as he left, nearly turning his head back to see her, but instead he snapped his view back forward and left just as quickly as he had came. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is, as promised!!! also, theres some spoilers for the ending of the book the little prince in this chapter if that bothers any of you, just letting you know! thanks again for all the support it really means so much everyone c:

Marinette wasn’t in the hospital for very long. It turned out that the burns on her calf were only second-degree, and pretty easily treatable. The nurses ran the burn under cold water, gave her some antibacterial treatment and bandaged her up, informing her to change the bandages frequently and gave her a good amount of the antibacterial cream to take home with her. Afterwards they called her parents to come and pick her up, and of course Alya had arrived with them.

“You said you were just going back to get your purse, Mari! What on Earth happened!?” Alya demanded. She was sat at Marinette’s bedside while her parents took care of the hospital paperwork. Alya clutched her best friend’s hand tightly, not letting go until she got her answers.

“I-I don’t know, it’s all kind of a blur…” Marinette lied, not meeting Alya’s gaze. “I went to get it, and I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting the Fireman in the distance. He saw me and tried to attack me, but Chat Noir saved me.” The story sounded good enough, and she hoped no one would question her further and blame the lack of detail on her “traumatic experience”.

“Well just don’t do that ever again, okay?” Alya sounded stern even though her eyes were becoming wet.

“I won’t,” Marinette promised, even though it was only another lie. She gripped her friend’s hand in both of hers, a gentle smile forming. It must’ve been believable because Alya smiled back, giving her hand one last squeeze before letting go.

“So now you have to tell me,” Alya began, with a look Marinette was all too familiar with. “What was it like to be saved by Chat Noir?”

Marinette shrugged her shoulders. What was she supposed to say? That it made her trust him even more? That it made her want to be more open and truthful with him? There was no way.

“I don’t know. I-it all happened so fast…” She replied, looking down at her bandaged leg. She had to give Alya  _ something _ . “His arms were strong… I guess…”

“That’s all you got for me?” Alya laughed. “Well, I guess I’d be pretty out of it too if I just got a second-degree burn from a crazy monster.”

“Alya, please don’t post this to the LadyBlog,” Marinette requested. If the whole world knew that it was Marinette who got burned and brought to the hospital by Chat Noir, the cat himself was sure to find out as well. There was no way he lived in a hole without internet access. And if Marinette knew him well enough, she could guess that the boy was probably the LadyBlog’s number one subscriber. “It’s just, I don’t want anyone to know about this. It’s… embarrassing.”

“Getting saved by Chat Noir is more embarrassing than lying and saying you did it on, what, the oven? A hot pan? I know you live in a bakery but c’mon, Marinette,” Alya pleaded. But then Marinette used her puppy dog eyes and Alya couldn’t help but comply. “Fine, fine. But next time you get saved by one of the heroes of Paris, at least get a little interview for me!”

Both of them laughed at that, and Marinette started to feel better, more like herself. And then her phone began to ring on the bedside table, Adrien’s photo lighting up the screen. Marinette turned to Alya, eyebrows furrowed, silently asking for answers.

“Alright, so I maaay have mentioned to Adrien that you were in the hospital and that you would feel better if he stopped by,” Alya said, holding her hands up in surrender. 

“Alya! Why would you do that? Oh my God, why is he calling? Is he outside?” Marinette began to panic, picking up her phone and waving it around frantically.

“Answer and find out, girl!” Alya said, grabbing her friend by the wrist and pressing the answer button.

“Adrien! Hello!” Marinette said almost robotically, her phone pressed against her ear.

“Hey, Marinette!” She could hear Adrien’s staticy voice through the phone, he sounded concerned. “Alya told me you we’re in the hospital. Is that true? Are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine, Adrien. Thank you.” Marinette replied, looking over at Alya who was smirking and sticking her tongue out at her.

“What happened?”

“Oh, I just burned my leg on accident in the bakery. You know me, always so clumsy.” She gave a halfhearted laugh.

“I didn’t want to come by without calling first,” Adrien said, and Marinette was thankful that he wasn’t as impulsive as Alya. “Are you going to be coming home later? I’d love to come see you.”

“I, uh,” Marinette blanked for a moment, staring at Alya who was shaking her head yes. “Yeah, I’m getting discharged soon. But y’know it’s really not that bad, you shouldn’t be worried about me. And I know you’re probably busy...”

“I’m going to be worried either way, Marinette. And you’re my friend, I’ll always have time for you.” He sounded so genuine Marinette wanted to melt into the bed underneath her.

“A-alright. You can come by anytime after five I-I guess, I’ll be home by then.”

“Great! I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, bye Adrien.” Marinette hung up the phone and threw it at Alya, who caught it as if she saw it coming a mile away. “I can’t believe you did that!”

“Technically,  _ you _ invited him over your house,” Alya replied. “And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t invite my best friend’s crush over to fawn over her when she was wounded?”

Marinette sighed, but she couldn’t help the smile that crept up onto her lips. “Alright. You just better help me take down all those photos of him I have in my room before he comes over.”

“Roger!”

\- - -

Marinette was beyond thankful to have a friend like Alya. After getting home she had took down nearly every picture she had of Adrien in her room and hidden them safely inside a drawer in her desk while Marinette sat on her futon with her bandaged leg propped up. She stayed over for a while too, not wanting to leave Marinette to her own devices again after what had happened that day. The two laid down talking until the door finally rang around five-thirty, and they both knew what that meant. Alya took it as her sign to go and got up, playfully touching up Marinette’s hair before she left, giggling as she did so.

“You gotta look good for your man!” She explained, with her signature wink.

Marinette laughed in response. “Because I look  _ sooo _ good with a mutilated leg.”

“Oh hush, you’re gorgeous no matter what,” She finished brushing Marinette’s bangs to the side, and removed her hands from her personal space. “I’m gonna get going now. Let me know how it goes!”

Marinette smiled softly as she watched her best friend descend down the trapdoor of her room. She could hear conversation from downstairs, Alya’s farewell to her parents and Adrien’s greeting. She suddenly began to feel nervous, tapping her fingers idly on her stomach, looking around her room for something to make her seem composed. She spotted Le Petit Prince on the floor next to the futon among her school things and grabbed it, opening it up and pretending to read as Adrien began to come upstairs.

“Hey, Marinette,” He greeted, making his way over to her. She quickly shut the book, flashing Adrien a smile.

“Hey,” She replied, moving to sit upright a bit more. “Thanks for coming over. You can grab a chair if you’d like.”

Adrien nodded, grabbing her pink desk chair and sliding over on it. He was quiet for a moment, taking shy glances between her face and her bandaged leg before speaking up. “Your hair looks nice down, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like that.”

“O-oh, thank you,” Marinette mumbled, shyly touching her ends. She was usually self conscious about her hair when it wasn’t up, leave it to Adrien to make her feel better.

“Does it hurt?” He asked quietly, looking down at her leg.

“Wha–? Oh, no, not so much anymore,” Marinette replied. She really didn’t want to talk about her injury, so instead she handed Le Petit Prince to Adrien. “Um, here, I finished it a while ago and forgot to give it back.”

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Adrien took the book and set it on his lap. “What was your favorite part?”

“Hmm,” Marinette hummed, thinking for a moment. “The ending. Even though it was sad when the prince got bit by the snake, he wanted to go home to protect his flower… I thought it was really sweet.” She found herself thinking about Chat Noir, and how he had protected her and brought her to the hospital. She sighed, shaking the thought out of her head, looking back over to Adrien who was smiling.

“I agree,” He replied, his tone soft. “Ah! That reminds me, I brought you something as well.”

“Adrien, you didn’t have to do that,” Marinette protested, her eyes wide. But she couldn’t stop him, he was already reaching into his bag and pulling out.. a DVD?

“I just thought that with your leg and all, we couldn’t go out and do anything. So I brought Le Petit Prince the movie so we could watch it here instead. Only if you want to, though, I’d understand if you were tired of it by now,” He laughed nervously, holding up the DVD case for her to see. Marinette thought she might just combust from his sweetness.

“I would love to watch it with you,” Marinette confirmed. “You can put it into the computer over there, I’ll move, let me just –” She began to move and swing her good leg over the edge of the futon but Adrien stopped her. 

“No, no. Stay there. Wait a sec.”

Marinette did as he said and stayed where she was as Adrien went to put in the movie. He then proceeded to walk over and pick up her futon to her surprise, dragging it across the floor to sit in front of the computer screen. Marinette sat, starstruck, not ever having realized just how  _ strong _ Adrien must be. There was no way that could just be from fencing.

“Is that good?” He asked, looking completely innocent. All Marinette could do was nod in response as the film started rolling, stealing both of their attention. She couldn’t help but feel bad that Adrien was sitting on her uncomfortable pink plastic desk chair while she was lounging on the futon he moved for her, so she decided to be bold.

“You could sit here, i-if you want,” She offered, having scooted over in her seat. Adrien grinned at the gesture and obliged. It was a little tight, but Marinette didn’t mind in the slightest, the proximity making her feel warm on the inside and out. The pair remained quiet and focused on the movie, which was of course slightly different than the book, but cute all the same.

As time went by so did Marinette’s consciousness, and when the credits started rolling she felt herself being woken up by Adrien’s voice calling her name quietly, over and over.

“Mmm?” She mumbled, eyes blinking slowly awake. She suddenly realized that her head was rested on Adrien’s shoulder, and shot upright, causing him to laugh lightly. “I can’t believe I fell asleep like that,” She said sheepishly, trying to fight back a yawn.

“It’s okay, Marinette. You’ve had a long day, I don’t blame you.” His voice was soft and dreamy, and Marinette wondered if she was really awake or not.

“I’m surprised you’re still here,” Marinette mumbled without thinking, regretting it as soon as she had said it and tried to laugh it off. “I-I just mean you’re such a busy person, I didn’t expect you to stay here so long, and to deal with me falling asleep on you…”

“I wasn’t too busy today,” Adrien corrected, but Marinette still felt like he was probably lying. “And what kind of person would I be if I didn’t come here to comfort a hurt friend? Asleep or not.” 

His smile was so bright and genuine, Marinette thought she might pass out again.

“Thanks,” She replied, looking down at her hands, a blush staining her cheeks. 

“You know, you said something while you were asleep,” Adrien commented, and the color immediately drained from Marinette’s face.

“W-what?”

“Yeah, you said  _ Chat Noir  _ a few times, and made some funny faces,” Adrien replied. He didn’t question her about it, just stated the facts, but Marinette felt like telling him the truth anyhow. After all, she didn’t want him to think that she was  _ into  _ Chat Noir or anything. No way. 

“Can I tell you something?”

And she did. Not everything, but enough. She told him the same story she had told Alya, and concluded with her wish that he not say anything to anyone about it, which of course he promised not to. 

“So, another encounter between Marinette and the mysterious Chat Noir,” Adrien observed, looking as if he were lost in thought. “Guess he can’t be that  _ claw _ ful of a guy if he saved you, huh?”

Marinette couldn’t help but sputter out laughter at Adrien’s awful joke, and he looked so proud of it too. “Yeah, he’s  _ purr _ etty alright,” She replied wittily, and Adrien began to join her in laughter. She could only imagine what Chat would think if he heard her make a pun so awful.

Their jokes were cut short by Adrien’s growling stomach, which he covered bashfully with his hands. “Sorry about that, I guess I haven’t eaten in awhile.”

As if on cue Marinette’s father lifted the hatch to her bedroom, bearing two plates with sandwiches.

“Papa!” Marinette exclaimed, feeling embarrassed at his doting affection and suspicious timing.

“What? I thought you two might be hungry,” He said innocently. Adrien clearly didn’t mind his interruption because he shot up out of his seat to accept the plates. 

“Thank you so much, Monsieur Dupain,” He said, moving back to his seat and handing Marinette her plate. Her father simply smiled and retreated back downstairs, feeling accomplished.

The two ate in relative silence. Marinette hadn’t realized just how hungry she was as well, and relished in her father’s cooking. After a while, she got to thinking. Adrien knew about her encounters with Chat Noir, but Marinette “didn’t” know about his encounters with Ladybug. 

“Hey, Adrien,” Marinette began, getting his attention away from his food for a moment. “Have you ever had an encounter with Chat Noir or Ladybug?”

Adrien nodded, swallowing down a mouthful before speaking. “I’ve seen Ladybug a couple times. She stops on my roof every now and then. But I see Chat Noir quite often.”

Marinette expected the first bit of information, but the second? Adrien saw Chat Noir a lot? What in the world could that entail?

“How do you see Chat Noir often?” Marinette asked curiously, completely forgetting to ask about Ladybug. 

Adrien looked down at his hands, fiddling with his silver ring as he spoke. “He must live nearby me or something. I see him almost every night,” He replied with a shrug. 

“Oh, interesting.” She had never really thought about the possibility of Chat Noir living close. It did make sense though, he was at the scene of every crime just as fast as she was, if not quicker sometimes. And if he lived near Adrien then he lived near her as well, and that meant he probably went to her school. The thought made her heart race.

“Do you ever wonder if maybe you’ve met Chat Noir or Ladybug outside of their costumes? What if we’re friends with them and didn’t even know it?” Adrien questioned. There was something in his voice that seemed strange, like he was self-conscious when asking the question.

“I don’t really think about stuff like that…” Marinette replied, her voice trailing off at the end. “I mean, they want it to be kept secret, right?”

“Mmm, I guess you’re right,” Adrien mumbled, his mouth full of another bite he had taken. “But wouldn’t that be crazy?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Marinette agreed, laughing nervously. 

“Like, what if I was Chat Noir? And you didn’t even know it?”

Marinette sorely regretted taking another bite of her sandwich because she immediately began choking at Adrien’s insinuation. Obviously it was a joke, but the thought hadn’t entered her mind ever since Alya had made the same suggestion. After gathering back her breath Marinette just started laughing uncontrollably.

“That’s funny, Adrien,” She giggled, hiding her face behind her hand.

“What? I could be!” He protested, a ridiculous grin on his face. He placed both hands on his hips as if to try and prove a point.

“But you’re so nice, and Chat Noir is so –”

“Not nice?” Adrien suggested, looking like he was personally offended for some reason. “He  _ did _ save you, Marinette.”

“No, I know. It’s not that he’s not nice. He is. A-and I mean I don’t know him well enough to judge obviously, but he just seems a little…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Flamboyant.” 

Adrien chuckled at that. “Because a model like me could  _ never  _ be flamboyant.” He bobbed his head from side to side a little for dramatic effect and Marinette thought she might just lose it, her incessant laughter making her even snort a little to her own embarrassment. 

“Thank you so much for coming over today, Adrien. You really know how to make a girl feel better,” She said between laughs.

Adrien flipped his hair to even further make a fool of himself, winking at her playfully. “Anything for you, little lady.”

Marinette knew he was only playing around, but she couldn’t help the blush that reached her cheeks due to his flirtatious actions. It was strange considering it was something that Chat Noir would normally do and not Adrien, but she felt flustered all the same. 

“Ah, it’s getting kind of late. I should probably be getting back home,” Adrien said suddenly, glancing at the time on his phone. “Honestly, I kind of snuck out to come here…”

“You what!?” Marinette exclaimed, looking at him in shock. She had never expected a good kid like Adrien to be one to sneak out, and to see her nonetheless. 

“Well, I just left without telling Nathalie, really. And Father’s not home anyways.” He shrugged it off as if it were nothing, but Marinette felt like it was so much more. At least to her, it meant a lot.

“Well, thanks again for coming over. I had a lot of fun, even though I fell asleep,” She replied sheepishly with a small smile. 

Adrien got up from his seat and took their plates, saying he’d take them downstairs to the kitchen when he left. Marinette thanked him for probably the millionth time that day and told him goodbye. But before he left he placed his hand on her shoulder like he always did and flashed her a smile that made her think she might feint.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone.”

Marinette giggled at that. “I promise I’ll be alive to do our presentation,” She replied cheekily, and Adrien’s smile widened. 

He gave her shoulder a final pat and then waved her goodbye as he descended down the stairs from her room. After Adrien was out of sight Marinette let out a breath of relief, sinking down into futon, feeling like she was on top of the world. 

“I think he really likes you, Marinette!” Tikki whispered as she emerged from her hiding place, buzzing around excitedly.

“Really?” Marinette asked, biting her lip, unsure of herself. 

“Of course! I mean, what’s not to like?” Tikki replied, giggling. “But hey, that stuff he said about Chat Noir was kind of weird, right?”

“Oh, come on, he was just joking around. I probably could’ve said I’m Ladybug he would’ve laughed it off too,” Marinette scoffed, waving away the subject with her hand.

“If you say so,” Tikki agreed reluctantly. “Speaking of Chat Noir, you’re not going to patrol tonight are you?”

“I think Chat would understand if I skipped tonight, Tikki,” Marinette pointed out. “And I’m completely exhausted.”

“You did really well today, Mari. You deserve a good night’s rest.” Tikki snuggled up against Marinette’s chest, and suddenly she didn’t have the energy to get herself up off the futon, falling asleep easily with the promise of talking to Adrien again tomorrow still fresh in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday was probably the easiest day Marinette had in awhile. It was quiet both outside and inside her house, giving her time to focus on some design work she had put off since she had been so busy with Adrien and their project. Luckily sitting at her sewing machine didn’t require much leg work, so all was well on that front. 

Alya came over for a short while to keep her company, but left rather soon due to the fact that her and Nino had been procrastinating terribly on their own project and needed to get it done the last day they had time to. Marinette had laughed at that, saying it was typical of the two of them and gave her goodbyes without any ill will. She actually enjoyed the silence after that, the peaceful whirring of her sewing machine and Tikki being all the company she needed for the rest of the day.

Well, that and Adrien’s constant texts. 

It was incredibly cute, honestly. Every minute or so her phone would go off with a little  _ ping! _ and she didn’t even have to look at the name on the screen to know who it was, that’s how constant it had been all day. He certainly was a man of his word. If he couldn’t see her in person that day then he could sure as hell text her incessantly. At least that’s what he had said when he first started messaging her that day, and it definitely didn’t seem like he was going to stop anytime soon (not that Marinette was complaining).

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:22pm]**   
photoshoot is going longer than usual (´д｀) 

**[Marinette @ 4:23pm]**   
u will get through it, u always do! and cmon it cant be THAT terrible

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:29pm]**   
ur only saying that because u dont know how awful these photographers can be. and dont even get me started on the designers -__-

**[Marinette @ 4:31pm]**   
doesnt ur dad design all the clothes???

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:32pm]**   
excatly (￣□￣)

Marinette sighed. Could his father really be as bad as Adrien always talked about? She wasn’t exactly in a position to give any other input on the man since she really didn’t know him, but he did make her the winner of the bowler hat contest that one time, so at least she knew he had good taste. Before she got the chance to respond though, Adrien texted again.

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:33pm]**   
i wish it was u who designed my clothes instead. at least then id have fun  ( ´ ▽ ` )

Marinette instinctively covered her face to hide her blush even though no one was around. Tikki looked at her strangely before reading the message herself and then bouncing up and down in excitement. 

“I told you he likes you!” She proclaimed, crossing her little arms.

“Oh, shhh,” Marinette hushed in reply, her blush deepening at the thought. 

**[Marinette @ 4:35pm]**   
maybe someday haha :)

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:37pm]**   
i hope that day is sooner rather than later! speaking of, whatcha working on rn? that is, if u can disclose such top secret info 

Marinette laughed at the message and decided it was safe enough to send him a picture of her latest work. She bravely decided to make it a selfie of her throwing up a peace sign in front of her latest design on her table, blocking the view a bit with her hand.

**[Marinette @ 4:40pm]**   
[img.3894 attached] only a little sneak peak!

**[Adrien <333 @ 4:44pm]**   
both u and ur work are looking very good! :D

**[Marinette @ 4:46pm]**   
ur too kind honestly omg :’)

\- - -

Their conversations continued to go on and on throughout the night, most of them either making Marinette blush furiously or laugh out loud, but one way or another they always put a smile on her face. Despite tomorrow being the last day they would  _ have _ to do anything together since they were presenting their project, Adrien made her feel like it definitely wasn’t going to be the last. Even though it had only been a short amount of time she felt so close to him already, she couldn’t even explain why. They had just somehow fallen into a natural rhythm of friendship.

But after her and Adrien had texted each other goodnight, she knew there was another friend she had to talk to. Even though her leg still wasn’t in very good shape at all, she wanted to see Chat Noir and talk to him and see how he was after yesterday’s events. She had been so concerned about her own pain and identity she never bothered to ask how he was, and she felt bad for it. So despite Tikki’s reluctance she transformed and slowly but surely made her way onto a rooftop that wasn’t her own and waited. Even though it wasn’t their usual meeting place (that was a bit too far out of her reach right now), Ladybug had a feeling that Chat Noir would be able to spot her red suit in the dark. 

Her suspicions had been correct of course, and she was beginning to think that Chat Noir not only had night vision, but Ladybug vision as well in that mask of his because he managed to find her in a matter of twenty minutes.

“My lady, I’m surprised to see you out and about,” He stated, taking a seat next to her on the rooftop. She could tell he was trying to get a look at her leg, but her costume covered any sign of injury that might be there.

“I just wanted to see you,” Ladybug replied honestly, looking over at her partner. “Y’know, ask how you were and stuff.”

Chat laughed at that, and for some reason it sounded oddly familiar. “Shouldn’t I be asking  _ you _ how  _ you’re _ doing?”

“Little old me? I’m fine and dandy thanks to you,” Ladybug replied, flashing a smile to try and prove her point. “But I never asked you after the fight if you were okay. You didn’t get hurt or anything did you?”

“I was only wounded in here,” Chat stated, his hand over his heart. “From seeing you injured.”

“Of course,” Ladybug replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Same old Chat Noir.

“I appreciate the sentiment though, my lady. You came all the way out here just to see if I was okay…” His voice trailed off at the end and he smiled softly, staring off into the cityscape.

“Well both of us can’t be hurt at the same time. What if Hawkmoth attacks again soon? You’ll need to pick up my slack,” Ladybug teased, nudging him in the arm.

Chat rolled his head to the side to look at her, his smile reaching his green eyes. “Anything for you.”

Well, that’s not what she had expected. She expected some sort of witty comeback about how even if she’s hurt she'd better be on her best game or something, not this. Ladybug felt her face begin to heat up and she looked away, embarrassed. “Shut up,” She whispered, trying her best to sound annoyed rather than flustered. “You need to stop saying things like that.”

“Saying things like what?” Chat purred.

“Like you mean them.”

It came out of her mouth without much thought, but after she said it she knew that’s exactly what she felt. Sure, Chat Noir was an obnoxious flirt at times. He could smirk and wink and dish out teasing remarks all day long, but when he said things like  _ “I’d swim across an ocean for you” _ or  _ “Anything for you” _ in  _ that _ tone of voice, she just felt… defenseless.

“I do mean them. Every word I’ve ever said to you has been nothing but the truth. Cat’s honor.”

“You’re too much, kitty,” She sighed, moving to stand up. But of course Chat beat her to the punch and offered his hand to her, which she took. Upon pulling herself up and putting weight on her leg she hissed in pain and tripped forward, but Chat caught her with ease, cradling her in his strong arms.

“Someone’s a little wobbly on their feet, hm?” Chat remarked, still holding her out of fear that she’d fall again. 

“Hey, I made it up here didn’t I?” She retorted, attempting to pull herself slightly out of his grip.

“True, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need an escort back,” He countered, his usual flirtatious tone back into play. 

“I can handle myself, thank you.” Ladybug reached for her yo-yo, swinging being an easier option for her than galavanting across rooftops. “It’s quiet tonight, and I have a big day tomorrow so I need some rest. See you tomorrow?”

“Most definitely,” Chat replied, finally releasing her from his arms completely, except for her hand, which he held onto for some reason. She looked at him curiously as he brought her hand to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to her knuckles. She pulled away afterwards and ruffled his hair in retaliation, which he must’ve found endearing by the way his face looked. She couldn’t help but giggle at his expression. 

“Bye bye, kitty,” She said softly before taking off into the night, wondering if going out to see him was a wise decision to begin with. 

\- - -

At last it was Monday, and Marinette made her way up the school steps with as much grace as she could with her crutch. It wasn’t a necessity, but she didn’t want to take any chances with her leg healing weird, so she used it to clunk her way up the steps to school, Alya watching carefully at her side. The two sat inside on their usual bench, talking about their day yesterday. Of course Marinette talked about her endeavors in texting Adrien and Alya went on to elaborate about her and Nino miraculously finishing their project the day before it was due. 

Just as Marinette finished scolding Alya for being such a procrastinator Adrien showed up, the large tri-fold Marinette had put together tucked carefully underneath his arm, Nino right behind him.

“Good morning, ladies,” Adrien greeted, looking like human sunshine.

“Morning,” Marinette replied with a smile.

“Hey Nino, where’s our posterboard?” Alya asked, eyeing the one Adrien held. 

“Dude, I thought you had it?!” Nino exclaimed, and suddenly the pair began to look very worried.

“We worked on it at your house, dummy! You’re lucky you don’t live far. C’mon, let’s go get it,” Alya said, sounding like a disappointed mother and dragging Nino away, waving Marinette goodbye in the process.

She couldn’t help it, Marinette burst out laughing at Alya and Nino’s misadventures. “Can you believe those two? So scatterbrained.”

“I love Nino to death, but getting paired up with him for a project…” Adrien sighed, shaking his head and smiling fondly. “I’m glad I got you, to say the least.”

Marinette gave a small, nervous laugh. “Right back at you.”

“So, how are you feeling today?” He asked, nodding towards her leg.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Marinette replied. She stood up, using her crutch as leverage. “The doctors just gave me this thing so I figured I may as well use it. Also it might help us get some sympathy when Madame Bustier grades our presentation today.”

Adrien laughed at her mischievious tone. “I doubt  _ we’ll _ need it. Nino and Alya on the other hand…”

Marinette giggled at his remark, but was cut to a stop by the bell. “Well, let’s get this over and done with!”

Adrien nodded, and the two began to walk to class together. Even though it took Marinette extra long to trek her way up the steps Adrien never sped up and left her behind, he just waited patiently for her, and when they finally reached the classroom he held the door. She felt like she was a princess around him sometimes.

Before sitting down Marinette took it upon herself to tell Madame Bustier about Nino and Alya and their endeavor to try and get their project to class. She had just sighed and said it was alright as long as they managed to make it back before class was over. Once she sat down, Marinette texted Alya on her fate if they didn’t make it back in time, to which she had just replied with a thumbs up emoji.

Adrien had looked back at her in curiosity, and Marinette replied by pointing to the two empty seats beside them and he seemed to get the picture.

Mylene and Alix were first to present their project on The Stranger. It was good, but you could tell Mylene was nervous and Alix was, well, Alix. After they finished though they got a round of applause, and up next was Chloe and Kim, who surprisingly did their project on Les Miserables. It would be surprising enough for Chloe to sit through the three hour movie let alone read the incredibly long novel, so it was obvious from the start that Kim did most, if not all, of the work. Chloe hardly even spoke, and she mostly stared at Adrien the whole time, which only ticked Marinette off. Adrien on the other hand, seemed unphased. 

A few presentations later and right in the middle of Juleka talking about the plot of The Count of Monte Cristo, Alya and Nino burst into the classroom, looking slightly disheveled but triumphantly holding their project’s poster nonetheless. The entire classroom began giggling, but it didn’t phase them in the slightest, the two of them taking their seats when Madame Bustier reprimanded them to do so.

After Juleka and Max’s presentation the late duo themselves took center stage to present their illustrious project on the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Honestly, it wasn’t all that bad in Marinette’s opinion, considering they just finished it the night before. What it lacked in finesse they made up for with humor, and the whole class appreciated it after listening to a bunch of monotone presentations.

They probably got the best applause so far, which made following them up pretty difficult. After Alya and Nino took their seats it was time for Marinette and Adrien’s presentation. The two got up, and while Adrien set everything up at the front Marinette hobbled her way over, trying to make herself comfortable standing in front of the class. Saving Paris was one thing, but public speaking was another entirely, and frankly she was not very fond of it. But she had Adrien, and when he glanced over at her and flashed her a smile before starting to speak, she began to feel more confident. He made her stronger. 

So thus began their long talk on Le Petit Prince, it’s story, themes and symbols, using their well decorated (if Marinette did say so herself) poster to further get their points across. After seeing Alya and Nino’s presentation, Adrien must’ve been inspired because he pulled some jokes of his own as well. He did the same bit with the snake swallowing the elephant drawing as when they first started working on their project, pulling the taped illustration off the posterboard and sticking it on top of his head. Needless to say, with Adrien’s charm and Marinette’s level-headedness, their presentation went over smoother than she could’ve imagined. When they concluded everything they got a substantial round of applause, Alya being the loudest out of everyone which made Marinette laugh. 

And then on instinct she held out her fist to Adrien behind the poster board where no one could see, and without even looking over at her he fistbumped her, as if it were a natural gesture for him as well. 

He looked over at her once their knuckles met, green eyes sparkling, with a sideways grin on his face, looking like a handsome model and a cocky feline all at once. And it hit her. Like the Eiffel Tower falling down on Paris it hit her. Her arm dropped limply to her side as did the crutch she was holding, making a loud and awkward clattering sound on the floor, causing their applause to be cut short. Adrien’s expression changed to one of concern, and when he reached out to her she backed away.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t f-feel well,” Marinette stammered out, and as quickly as she could she fled the classroom, leaving behind a lost kitten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah there it is, the long awaited reveal. let me know what you guys think!!! c: I predict probably 2 more chapters for this fic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all I just wanted to say thank you all so much for all the love and support!!??? it honestly amazes me how much more and more positive feedback I get every time I post a new chapter and I just :')) cant thank you guys enough. 
> 
> so without further ado here is the aftermath you've all been waiting for. there will be one more chapter after this to wrap things up, hope you like it!

Marinette had locked herself in a bathroom stall, trying as hard as she could to breathe normally. She sat on top of the closed toilet seat hugging her knees, trying to tell herself that crying was stupid and unnecessary, but that didn’t dry up her eyes in the slightest. After all, how was one supposed to react when realizing that their best friend and crime fighting partner was also the love of their life, just in another set of clothes?

Marinette’s hiccups echoed throughout the stall, and she cursed herself for being so blind and stupid. She wanted to tell herself that she was wrong, that there was no way Adrien could be Chat Noir. But the more she thought about it,  _ really _ thought about it, the more it began to make sense. The little things he told her about his life, his mannerisms, his likes, his dislikes, his terrible jokes, his green eyes… the more she compared the two the more they melded into one person. 

And as the thought of Adrien being Chat Noir began to make more and more sense, the less sense it made that he liked her. Or, at least he liked Ladybug. Did he know she was Ladybug? Did he like both of them? One of them? A million questions ran through her mind a second, and she felt like pulling out her hair. But one question ultimately reigned supreme. Would would she say when she faced him next?

“Marinette?” Alya’s quiet and tender voice reached her ears and startled her out of the panicked trance she had put herself in. She could see her friend’s sneakers in the small window at the bottom of the stall and breathed in deeply, trying to compose herself.

“I-I’m fine,” Marinette managed to squeak out, but her voice was weak, and Alya wasn’t having it.

“No you’re not. Tell me what’s wrong. Let me help.”

Marinette wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Alya everything, about Ladybug and Chat Noir and Adrien, but she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t and it hurt her more than words could describe. Another day another lie to her best friend. When would it end? The lying, the secrets… she thought of Adrien again and another hiccup escaped her throat. She sniffled up her tears before mustering out another reply.

“I just feel sick. It must be nerves…” It technically wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

“It’s alright Mari, you did great. The whole class thinks so.” Alya’s comfort only made Marinette feel worse, but she bit her tongue. “Adrien is worried about you, too. Why don’t you come out? I’ll walk you home. Madame Bustier said it was ok because of your injury.”

Ah yes, her injured leg. The same leg Chat Noir– no, Adrien had taken care of when she couldn’t support herself. It was Adrien who brought her to the hospital. Adrien who closed his eyes and respected her privacy. Adrien who said he would swim across an ocean for her. Adrien Adrien Adrien.

Suddenly she couldn’t take it anymore, her emotions were a trainwreck and all she wanted was her best friend. Marinette unlocked the bathroom stall and flung herself on top of Alya, hugging her tightly. She reciprocated of course, rubbing Marinette’s back rhythmically to try and calm her down. Alya wasn’t stupid, and she probably knew that Marinette wasn’t telling her everything, but she was incredibly kind, and she cared for her either way. Even though she probably wanted to, she didn’t try to pry open Marinette’s delicate seams. 

“I love you, Alya.” The words came out shaky, but it was the only thing she could say with absolute certainty. 

Alya had just laughed lightly in reply, giving Marinette a gentle squeeze. “I love you too, girl. Now let’s get you home.”

\- - -

Alya had to leave after walking Marinette home since she had to go back to school. Just because Marinette could get off scot free didn’t mean that she could, so after making sure Marinette was settled into her room she reluctantly left, promising to come by right after school ended. 

So after getting her worrywart parents off of her back Marinette simply laid on her lounge chair, wishing that she could just fall asleep and forget everything, but of course, she couldn’t. She had calmed down at least, no more crying or hiccuping, just exasperated sighs were left inside her. She just couldn’t get Adrien’s picture out of her mind, and the photos on her wall didn’t help either.

“Marinette, are you going to be alright?” Tikki asked, trying to go about the subject as gently as she could.

“I don’t know, Tikki,” Marinette groaned in response, her face buried in her pillow. “I mean, what am I supposed to do?”

“What does your heart tell you?” Tikki replied. It was a cheesy question, but Marinette knew the answer without thinking.

“I need to talk to him. To tell him. If he doesn’t already know. He deserves that.”

She trusted Adrien, and he clearly trusted her and respected her enough to give her the privacy she wanted, but perhaps it was time to break that barrier. He said he wasn’t afraid, so why should she be? And now that she knew, there was no way she could just keep it bottled up inside.

“Hey, Tikki?” Marinette rolled on her side, looking her kwami in the eye.

“Yeah?”

“How does it make sense that, even though I know Adrien’s Chat Noir, I still love him?”

And then her tears made their unmerciful return, but this time they were silent, trailing down Marinette’s cheeks and dripping onto her pillow. Tikki tried her best to console her, but it was fruitless. This was something she had to come to terms with herself. The fact that if Adrien wasn’t around then maybe, just maybe, she would’ve let herself fall for Chat Noir. 

\- - -

Hours passed and Alya had come and gone. Her presence was welcomed, and her easy conversation made Marinette feel more like herself again. Anything that got her mind off of Adrien for even the shortest amount of time was something that she greatly appreciated. But it was a school night, and both of them had homework (Alya had brought Marinette’s over when she visited), so she didn’t stay as long as Marinette would’ve liked her too. 

As it turned to night Marinette couldn’t find it in herself to transform and go on patrol knowing what she did. So instead she sat atop her balcony, carefully keeping an eye out on her surroundings as she worked on some of the homework she had been given. If she couldn’t go patrol then she could at least sit outside and keep an eye on her own area. 

But of course, the one moment when she got engrossed in her work instead of looking at the scenery, a shadow ended up looming over her, blocking her light and forcing her to face something she’d been dreading.

“I thought you’d be up here,” Chat Noir stated, looking shy and unsure of himself, which was off putting. “I brought you something.”

As he emerged from behind the chimney he presented Marinette with a clear plastic bag tied carefully with a bow, filled to the brim with chocolate covered strawberries. But only Ladybug told Chat that was her favorite food, so that must mean –

“You know,” Marinette deadpanned. She could feel her hands beginning to shake, and she clenched them into fists at her side to try and stop them. Chat set the gift down on the table when he realized she wasn’t going to take them.

“Honestly?” Chat began, leaning against the railing. He was giving her space, which she appreciated. “I’ve known for a while.”

“H-how?”

“Well, I started getting suspicious that Ladybug knew me when you defended Adrien when I made that joke a while ago. And then we got paired up for the project and I just started to notice the little things. Your smile. Your laugh. Your eyes. And then of course I kind of baited you with the question game, and after that I was about ninety percent sure. But then the Fireman happened and your leg… After that I was certain it was you. No doubt about it. I was just waiting for you to figure it out too.”

“You were pretty blunt about it,” Marinette replied, still trying to take everything in.

“Still took you a while though,” Chat teased, and Marinette crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

“Change back,” She demanded, and Chat looked confused.

“What?”

“Change back. So I know one hundred percent. So I know I’m not imagining things.”

For a second he looked scared, as if the mask was something he needed to face her. But the expression melted away quickly and turned into a smile. An Adrien smile. He stepped closer to her and put both hands on Marinette’s shoulders.

“Close your eyes.”

She listened to him, trusting him as she always did and shutting her eyes without much hesitation. She could see the green light flash through her lids, and squeezed them tighter out of the fear that if she opened them it just might be too much. Then she felt his right hand move from her shoulder to her cheek, his cold ring stinging her skin, and she didn’t have to open her eyes to know this wasn’t a dream.

“My lady.” It was Adrien’s voice and Chat’s voice all at the same time, and she opened her eyes to see the boy she had spent the entire week with. The boy she fought crime with. The boy she fell in love with. She felt her eyes becoming wet and averted his gaze, looking down at their shoes.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” He sounded hurt and dejected, as if he were the problem here, but he still kept a smile on his face for her sake.

"I’m not who you think I am,” She began, sighing. “I’m not the amazing Ladybug you think I am. I mean yeah, I  _ am  _ her, but that’s not really me. I’m just a stupid clutzy girl who can’t even see what’s right in front of her.”

And then without any notice he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, catching Marinette off guard.

“But you  _ are _ amazing. You’re Ladybug inside and out. I know because I  _ know _ you.” Before Marinette could start to protest he continued, and instead of naming superficial things like the silly stuff she had told him about, he went deeper. “You’re brave and you stand up for what you believe in. You’re kind and selfless and you’re always there when your friends need you. You never give up hope on people, and you see the best in them.”

Throughout his little monologue Marinette found herself coiling her arms around the small of Adrien’s back, holding on tightly with the fear that if she let go she’d sink to the floor.

“And I love you. All of you. My heart is yours.”

“Adrien…” She didn’t stutter when she whispered his name. She wouldn’t have believed it, but he said it in  _ that _ voice he used. The same tone that said  _ “I’d swim across an ocean for you.”  _ He didn’t have to say “I love you” to say “I love you”, he’d already said it a million times before. He said it in the way he held her, the way he kissed her hand, the way he made her laugh, even in his flirtatious remarks there was always something behind them. Marinette cursed herself internally for not realizing it sooner. 

“Adrien, I–” She had started to say the three words she had longed to say to him for so long but never had the courage to, the words he’d just bravely said to her, but he stopped her mid sentence, kissing her on the forehead.

“I know,” He whispered, and it was enough to send Marinette over the edge. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wasn’t upset or shocked anymore. She was relieved. Relieved that she had someone who loved all of her and understood her without even needing words. Someone she could be truthful with no matter what. Someone she could bear her heart on her sleeve to and not be afraid it would be ripped to shreds. It was overwhelming, really, and she just couldn’t help but cry.

Adrien had released Marinette from his tight embrace and smiled down on her, gently wiping away the wetness on her cheek with his thumb. He looked beautiful and raw and real shrouded in the moonlight and Marinette didn’t need to tell herself that  _ she was Ladybug  _ this time to find the courage within her to reach up on her toes and kiss him.

And he kissed her back.  _ God _ did he kiss her back. Hands gently resting on her waist, leaning down ever so slightly to accommodate for the height difference. He tasted sweet like strawberries with a hint of bitter dark chocolate and Marinette couldn’t help but wonder if he ate some of the fruit he brought her on his way over, but she didn’t care. She kissed him and kissed him and kissed him until she couldn’t breathe and had to pull away.

Adrien’s face was flushed red, which was a totally new site for Marinette and she reveled in it even though she was sure her complexion matched his. And then when it finally dawned on her what she had just  _ actually _ done she buried her face in Adrien’s neck out of embarrassment. She could feel him start to laugh, and it was nervous and sweet, and suddenly she was being lifted off the ground and spun around in his arms. She couldn’t help but start to laugh along with him.

“Put me down, you stupid cat!” She giggled. And he obliged, setting her down carefully as if she would break otherwise. He still held onto her waist though, looking her deeply in the eyes.

“Anything for you, my lady.”

It might’ve been the way he said it or the way his smile lit up brighter than Paris at night, but either way Marinette couldn’t help but grab Adrien by the nape of the neck and bring him down for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at last, the final installment of this wild ride I call appeler un chat un chat
> 
> I'm so so grateful for all the support you guys have given me, it made writing this all the more fun and actually made me want to write another fic soon which I've been working on secretly shhh~
> 
> anyways, without further ado here's the final chapter. I love you all and hope you enjoy it c:

A week had passed since Marinette and Adrien’s kiss on the balcony, and honestly, not too much had changed.

Ladybug was still Ladybug, with Chat Noir galavanting around at her side kicking ass in Paris. And Marinette was still Marinette, always cheerful and, even though her leg had mostly healed, still tripping over everything.

Well, okay, one minor detail had changed.

“Can you  _ believe _ this, Marinette?!” Alya practically screamed. The two were standing outside school, and Alya’s excitement was turning a few heads, which began to put Marinette on edge.

“Can’t you be a little more quiet? I-It’s not  _ that _ big of a deal,” Marinette shushed, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

“ _Not that_ _big of a deal_?” Alya repeated, looking bewildered. “Mari, this is the most groundbreaking story I’ve ever come across! It could be my big break! Everyone in Paris is going to be talking about it! I can see the headline now: _Ladybug and Chat Noir, more like Lovebug and Chat du Coeur!_ ”

“Oh my god.” Marinette put her head in her hands, hiding her blush. “Your jokes are almost as bad as his.”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

Alya zoomed in on the photo she had on her phone of Ladybug and Chat Noir sharing a kiss on top of the Arc de Triomphe last night. Chat was dipping her gracefully and you could see the smile on Ladybug’s lips from his ridiculous gesture. Marinette had warned the stupid boy that public displays of affection we’re only going to cause a ruckus, but clearly he did not care. And if Marinette were being honest, if he kissed her like that every night, she would probably stop caring too. 

“This is incredible,” Alya said, still in awe of her lucky snapshot. “They’re almost as bad as you and Adrien.” She nudged Marinette with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows.

“A-a-are not!” Marinette stammered out nervously. It had been a week since the two had come out as an official couple, but she still got embarrassed about it sometimes. Especially when Alya made those suggestive faces of hers.

“Who’s almost as bad as us?”

And there was the devil himself, sneaking up behind the pair of girls as quiet as the feline he was. He leaned down to kiss Marinette on the cheek as greeting, taking her hand in his, causing her to blush. He did it everyday, and no matter what it still got to her, and he always looked proud of himself for it.

“Oh, I was just showing Marinette this  _ exclusive _ yet to be released photo of our favorite crime fighting duo. Or should I say, crime fighting  _ lovers _ ?” Alya flashed her phone screen towards Adrien, and suddenly he became rather embarrassed as well, which, from where Marinette was standing, was incredibly cute.

“How’d you get that?” He asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Marinette had to keep herself from laughing out loud. Adrien could be romantic as hell, but when it came to the repercussions of his actions, like Marinette retaliating with a deeper kiss or a witty flirtatious remark, he always got flustered. And apparently seeing himself kissing his girlfriend like it was straight out of some cheesy movie had the same effect.

“Oh, I just happened to be on a nice nighttime stroll and happened to catch this beautiful moment.” Alya’s voice sounded mischievous, and Adrien turned to Marinette as if she had an answer, to which she had simply shrugged. 

Then the bell rang, cutting their conversation short. Alya tucked her phone into her pocket and waved them goodbye, hastily making her way up the steps into the building. For a brief moment Marinette considered sneakily taking Alya’s phone and deleting the picture, but given her terrible track record with technology, she decided against it.

“Well, I guess everyone was going to find out eventually,” Adrien commented with a shrug. 

“This is all your fault, you ridiculous kitty who can’t keep his paws to hims–”

He kissed her to silence her, and Marinette couldn’t help but melt into it. But then they got a little wolf whistle from Nino who was running late into the building, causing the pair to pull apart. 

“Y’know we actually have class today!” He called from the door before making his way inside.

“Sorry,” Adrien said quietly, his tone smooth and dark. “I just can’t help myself sometimes.”

Marinette rolled her eyes in response even though she could hear her heart beating in her ears. 

“C’mon, we better go.”

\- - -

After school ended that day, Adrien had promised to take her on a date, and boy did he not disappoint.

After taking a walk around the city Adrien had surprised her by having a very elaborate picnic set up on the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. He knew that was her favorite place, and the fancy set up he had put together was incredible. There were multiple blankets spread out on the grass with a basket full of everything she could possibly want, sandwiches, fruit, bread, cheese and even sweets. 

Adrien was smiling ear to ear at his work, clearly having put everything together himself being the disgusting romantic that he was. He had started doing things like this ever since they started dating. There’d be a rose on her windowsill in the morning, or chocolate in her locker at school waiting for her. Just little things that simultaneously made Marinette laugh at his ridiculousness and fall even further in love, if that was possible.

“It’s beautiful,” Marinette commented as the two walked over, Adrien gesturing for her to sit down. She did so and he followed suit, bringing a bottle of sparkling apple cider out of the basket.

“I thought it would be nice to celebrate our first week anniversary,” He said as he opened the cap and poured the fizzy juice into two glasses. 

“A little over the top, don’t you think?” Marinette teased, taking her glass. “It’s just been one week after all.”

“True,” Adrien admitted, clinking their glasses together. “But, by far, the best week of my life.”

“Oh, stop,” Marinette protested, hiding her blushing face behind her hand. Adrien simply winked at her and took a drink. 

“It’s true!” Adrien confirmed. “And what a better place to celebrate than in front of where we had our first date.”

Marinette nearly choked on the sip she was taking. “So it  _ was _ a date!”

“Obviously, Mari,” Adrien laughed. Marinette had always thought of their nighttime trip to the apex of the Eiffel Tower a date, but hearing Adrien say that it was was another thing. The fact that he liked her as Marinette as well as Ladybug never ceased to amaze her. He always managed to make her feel comfortable and safe, even if he wasn’t really trying to.

Their evening went on with idle chatter and good food. They talked about school and the recent villains that had been popping up around lately, just normal things for them. They also mused about Nino and Alya’s potential romance for a while for giggles. And then the topic of the “LadyNoir” (that’s what Alya had called them) scandal came up, and Marinette couldn’t help but tease Adrien hopelessly. 

“Mr. Lovey Dovey, always has to get in the ‘We Saved The Day’ kiss. You just can’t wait until we get home, can you?”

“Hey, you never stop me,” Adrien countered, and Marinette really couldn’t argue with that.

“Well, you shouldn’t start in the first place!” She said, sticking her tongue out childishly. 

"But, my lady,” He began, his tone shifting to something darker, and Marinette could feel herself weaken underneath his gaze. “How can I resist?”

Marinette huffed out a breath, trying to remain calm and collected. “It’s only been a week and you’re already so needy. What am I going to do with you, kitty?”

“What  _ are _ you going to do with me? Hmm?” Adrien practically purred, taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

“Cut it out!” Marinette demanded, feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed, and Adrien couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

“Marinette, I’m kidding, come on,” He mused, nudging her in the arm.

“Sometimes you’re just a little too Chat Noir,” She commented, scrunching up her nose at him.

Instead of throwing back another teasing remark like usual Adrien turned silent for a moment, gently squeezing her hand before replying. “You weren’t… disappointed, were you?”

“What?” Marinette asked, confused. Adrien wouldn’t look at her, instead finding the grass more interesting.

“That I was Chat Noir?”

The thought had never occurred to her. Marinette was so busy worrying about herself and her own identity crisis that she never even had time to think about if Adrien was feeling the same as she did. The doubt, the confusion, it was only natural that he would have the same worries. The fact that he thought that she might be disappointed that the person she trusted most in the world, her partner in crime and best nighttime companion was also the same boy she had a crush on for over a year was ridiculous. In hindsight, if anything, she was relieved.

“I think…” Marinette began softly, trying to be completely honest with herself. “If I wasn’t so blindly in love with Adrien Agreste, I would’ve let myself fall for Chat Noir a long time ago. So, to answer your question, no. I wasn’t disappointed. Not in the slightest.”

And then it was Adrien’s turn to get emotional, and she could see his eyes becoming wet, a smile of relief stretched across his face. It must've been the same one Marinette had when Adrien had first told her that he loved her.

“I think if I wasn’t so caught up in loving Ladybug, I would’ve seen you a long time ago too, Marinette.”

She could feel butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach and she couldn’t help herself but start to laugh at how ridiculous they had been for so long. Adrien joined in, both of them leaning against each other for support as they giggled. They had both been so completely blind for so long that finally being able to see what was in front of them now felt like a dream. After they had calmed down Marinette rested her head on his shoulder, and Adrien put his arm around her waist, holding her.

“I love you. All of you,” Marinette whispered, repeating his own phrase back to him. She hoped the words that had made her feel safe and whole would have the same effect on him. It was the first time she had actually said the words, but it felt like she had said them a million times before, whether it have been in another life or in this one, and it felt natural. It felt right. 

“I love you too,” Adrien replied, kissing the top of her head. He didn’t have to say it, but she appreciated it nonetheless. She would probably never get tired of hearing those words. 

They laid down on the picnic blanket after that and stayed that way for a while, with Marinette’s head rested on Adrien’s outstretched arm. The glow from the city’s lights and the Eiffel Tower made it impossible to stargaze, but the moon was out, and that’s all they really needed. 

“Hey, Adrien,” Marinette whispered, breaking the silence that had grown comfortably between them. When he turned his head to face her she quickly and without any warning placed a soft and fleeting kiss on his lips, leaving him speechless.

“What, cat got your tongue?” She teased, reveling in his flushed expression.

“ _ Il faut appeler un chat un chat, _ ” Adrien replied, his embarrassment taking a one-eighty with the small cat-like smirk that took over his face. Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at his terrible use of idioms. She thought of how useful and accurate the phrase would’ve been that night when Chat Noir had made fun of Adrien, the night when everything had started to go utterly wrong and right at the same time. She kissed him again, and she swore she could feel him purr beneath her lips. To call a cat a cat indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Chat du coeur" = cat of the heart  
> "Il faut appeler un chat un chat." = It is necessary to call a cat a cat.
> 
> THANKS SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME FOR THIS UNTIL THE END!!! IT MEANS THE WOOOORLD!!!!!!
> 
> I honestly really love talking to all of you guys and if you like talking to me too please feel free to follow me on tumblr (@makototachibana) or twitter (@princesszeldas) !!!!!!!! also stick around here if you want to see more of my writing because I'll be posting a new multi-chapter miraculous ladybug circus au (whaaat!!!??) pretty soon entitled "miss fortune"!
> 
> I've said it a million times now but honestly just. thank you all so much. I couldn't/wouldn't have gotten through writing my first multi-chapter fic if it wasn't for all of your constant support :')


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